Gardai issue warning as thieves target tradespeople's vans

Local tradespeople who keep their tools in their vans overnight have been warned to improve security following a spate of thefts in recent months.

One of the latest incidents was in Kilcormac in the early hours of Tuesday morning when an electrican had all of the tools in his van robbed. In total, there have been almost 20 similar incidents in the Offaly Laois garda district recently with between one and ten thousand euros worth of tools taken.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week, Crime Prevention Officer for the division, Sgt Graham Kavanagh said that while it is impractical for many tradespeople to move their tools indoors overnight, there are a number of security measures that can be undertaken to lessen the risk of being targetted by criminals.

“Properly marking your tools is a huge thing. Not enough people are doing it. You should also back the van in as close as possible to your home and install sensor lighting. Most of the van's that have been broken into, it has been through the back door.

“You is also an alarm that will send you a text when your car is being broken into. All of these break ins are happening at night and sometimes lads are only realising what's happened when they arrive at their job in the next morning.”

Sgt Kavanagh also says that the wider public can play a role in making life more difficult for criminals.

“If you are offered any work tools at a heavily discounted rate or a value that is too cheap, the chances are that they are stole and it should be reported to the gardai.”