If you take the time to security mark your tools, it will protect them against theft and assist the police to return your property to you if it is stolen and recovered. 

There are a number of ways of security marking your items, these include:

We also recommend that you take colour photographs of any valuable or unusual items, paying special attention to any distinguishing marks such as initials or crests. Photographs should be taken against a plain background and include a ruler to give an idea of size. The police can then use these pictures in press releases and on social media to assist in recovering your items. Make a note of serial numbers, model numbers and anything else that can help identify your tools.

Immobilise is the world's largest FREE register of possession ownership details and together with its sister sites the Police's NMPR (www.thenmpr.com) and CheckMEND (www.checkmend.com) forms a very effective tool in helping to reduce crime and repatriate recovered personal property to its rightful owners. Immobilise can be used by members of the public and businesses to register their valued possessions or company assets, and exclusive to Immobilise all account holders registered items and ownership details are viewable on the police national property database the NMPR (www.thenmpr.com). This online checking service is used by all UK police forces to trace owners of lost and stolen property. In addition Immobilise is checked daily by a huge range of recovery agencies and lost property offices.

Prioritise security when buying your van

The uWatch Cube is Approved by Secured by Design. It is a completely portable and instantly deployable security device. It is mains or battery powered and has a variety of smart sensors and features such as a day/night IR camera, PIR moon, Shock, Temperature and GPS tracking. It detects activity in real me and delivers alerts to your smartphone, typically in under a minute. The Cube will instantly inform you if someone has broken into or moved your van. The portability of the cube means you can move it from your van to the building site or inside your tool bag. Why wait until you are a victim? Go to www.uwatch.co.uk/trade-tool-theft

For all your crime prevention advice visit our website and look on the A– Z of Crime Prevention

https://www.suffolk.police.uk/advice/crime-prevention-z

More information can be found at https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/@1.htm