Van owners urged to be vigilant following tool thefts in Tandridge

Surrey Police is warning van owners to be on their guard following several thefts of tools from vehicles throughout Tandridge.

The latest took place on Thursday (13 October). The first occurred at some point between 11.15am and 11.30am at a building site on Stanstead Road, Caterham where UPV windows were taken. The next was between 12.25pm and 12.55pm on Station Road, Woldingham, Caterham where a van was broken into, and two rucksacks and multiple power tools were stolen. The third took place between 1.30pm and 1.45pm on Limpsfield Road, Warlingham where £3,000 worth of Makita and Fluke tools were taken from a van.

Police Sergeant Daniel Parsons from Tandridge Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “We are urging van owners to be extra vigilant when leaving their vehicles parked. Where possible, our advice is to not keep tools in vans and leave a note on the vehicle advising would-be thieves that no tools are stored within. However, we appreciate that this is not always possible, especially during daylight hours when the van may still be in use and would urge owners to put security measures in place. If you are parking in a hotel car park, then try and park under the CCTV cameras. It might not prevent a theft but will help us identify those responsible. Also, consider parking against walls, making it harder for thieves to gain access to your doors.

“Any vehicle that is used to store valuable tools should be fitted with an alarm and ideally also an internal security cage to prevent anyone forcing their way in. The tools themselves should also be property marked, making them less attractive to the thief and easier to return to the rightful owner if they are recovered.”

 If members of the public, see anyone acting suspiciously around a van they should contact the police immediately. Similarly, if anyone is offered high value tools for sale cheaply, they should call Surrey Police on 101.

If you have any information which could help, please contact us quoting crime reference number PR/45220110216 via 

• Webchat using the chat button on the right hand side of the page
• Our online reporting tool https://www.surrey.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/
• Calling us on 101

If you do not wish to leave your name, please call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.