Seven in 10 van drivers victims of theft

More than seven in 10 van drivers were victims of theft last year, with nearly half of that number targeted more than once in a 12-month period.
NFU Mutual surveyed 500 tradespeople and found that more than 70% reported commercial thefts in 2024, with more than a third being victims of crime twice and eight per cent targeted three times.
Three per cent of respondents suffered on more than three occasions.
It found that the most common theft was from a site (35%), while a third had tools or equipment stolen from their vehicle and 16% said they had a vehicle taken over the past year.
Meanwhile, three-quarters of tradespeople said they leave tools or equipment in their vehicles overnight, with 41% saying the cost of replacing stolen equipment is their biggest concern.
Tool theft key worry for van drivers
Zoe Knight, head of commercial at NFU Mutual, said:
“Tradespeople rely on their tools and vehicles for their job, so it’s extremely concerning to see the number of those surveyed who said they had been a victim of theft and, worse yet, those targeted on multiple occasions in the last 12 months.
“The fact the two biggest concerns among the industry are around replacing stolen equipment and being a victim of theft shows the importance of having protection in place and we would urge them to take steps to improve security where possible.”
Lee Wilcox, co-founder and CEO of On The Tools, added: “Tool theft is a crisis that affects not only tradespeople’s livelihoods but also their mental health. It’s an epidemic we can no longer ignore.”