A new study has revealed that van crime is on the rise.

The research showed that nearly one in five small businesses in the UK have fallen victim to vehicle crime.

Over half said they have had some experience of van crime within the last two years, and just under half (42%) said it had involved the theft of the vehicle. Another 42% said just the contents had been taken.

Therefore, it is not surprising that van crime affects every day people, as one motorist found out. A van insurance driver was in for a big shock, when he returned to his vehicle, only to find his number plates had been stolen.

The crime was committed on a white Ford in Reading Road, Northolt between midday Sunday 26th July and 7am the following day.

As a result police in the area have urged motorists to fit anti-theft screws to stop the theft of licence plates which are then used in other crimes such as insurance crash and cash scams.

Got your number

Number plate theft continues to be a rising problem, and many licence plates go on to be used for serious criminal activity.

The vehicle registration mark on a number plate is the key piece of information that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, (DVLA) use to look up the car owners details on a vehicle record.

Stolen number plates are used on vehicles, by those who don't want to be found out when they commit criminal offences like illegal parking, not paying congestion charges, speeding, disguising a stolen vehicle, not paying for parking or speeding tickets and not paying at a petrol station.

Vehicles with stolen number plates have also been used in more serious crimes such as kidnapping and robbery.

In an attempt to crack down on van crime, the DVLA has been working alongside several number plate manufacturers to develop an agreed standard for theft resistant plates.

This theft resistant number plate is made to stop anyone stealing a vehicle plate quickly and reusing it on another vehicle.

Such technology has several benefits, firstly it can reduce the number of van owners faced with motoring related fines for something they did not do and secondly, the plates will prevent vehicle cloning and reselling them to unsuspecting drivers.

Van crime continues

However, van crime does not stop at number plate theft.

With the average workman carrying around £3,000 worth of equipment, stocks, and personal items in their van, up to £1 billion of tools could have been stolen across the UK.

One van driver recently had around £2,000 worth of tools stolen from his commercial van in Matchborough.

The white Ford Transit van was broken into in Breaches Lane between 6pm on Wednesday, July 22 and 8.15am the following day.

Some of the tools stolen from the van include an angle grinder and a router, an electric screwdriver, a 110 piece socket set, a circular saw, two combi-drills, an SDS drill, a big tile cutter and a Dewalt drill set.

PC Paul Downes said: "We are appealing to anyone who has been offered tools of this description for sale over the last week or so to get in touch.

"The loss of tools in such circumstances can have a significant impact, particularly when the owner is self-employed, and we would urge anyone with information relating to the theft to pass this on to us."

He warned other van owners to be extra vigilant and if possible, to step up security measures on their own vans.

David Nichols, from an insurance firm added: "The nation thrives on the work done by small businesses so we need them operating safely and free from crime, but we also need them to get back up and running if they do fall victim.

"[We] reminds van users to take sensible precautions against the risk of losing not only their vehicle, but also any tools and stock they might have stored in it."