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STOP THIEF!
Page 53
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Truck theft is a major problem — and a growing one. But there are steps you can take to make your vehicle a daunting prospect, even for professional thieves ...
An expert thief can break into the average truck and take it away in bits within 30 minutes. By the time you discover your lorry has been ;Wien, its engine, gearbox and axles could lave started on a journey to the other side of the world.
No truck is safe, say the police. A cri:ninal who knows what he is doing can steal any parked vehicle. Nonetheless, truck security is vital, they say, because the ight anti-theft devices, and a it of care and effort, will foil ill but the most determined viiam. To put it bluntly, if your well-protected wagon is parked ip next to one that's wide pen, where do you think a lief will strike?
There are a host of alarms, ocks, clamps and cut-off sys:ems on the market, but simply „ming your common sense by ;ignwriting cabs, marking corn)onents and parking in well-lit areas also increases the odds )f finding your truck where you eft it.
Truck thefts show no sign of slowing. Statistics are hard to find, but they certainly run into hundreds, if not thousands, a year. Certain older makes, such as Bedford's TK and Ford's DSeries, have always been the most popular targets. More than half of the truck thefts reported to Surrey police last year were Bedfords. Their lack of marking and a good overseas market makes them easy prey, says detective chief inspector Len Withal Kent is a favourite haunt of truck thieves. So far this year, 116 tractive units and 16 semi-trailers have gone missing. Last year's total was almost 200 trucks and trailers, of which 37 trucks were recovered, most of them intact. Kent police admit they are fighting a losing battle. Few convictions for truck theft have been recorded, although they say that recoveries are running slightly ahead of last year. One truck was discovered in Eire it had been sold through a reputable auction house using a duplicate registration document.
"We are trying to work out a pattern for the thefts," says a Kent police spokesman, "but it is difficult.' Layhys and streets outside a driver's home are popular targets, although some trucks are stolen from secure transport yards, he says.
Truck manufacturers should provide a lead in fitting security devices to their vehicles as standard, says Withall, who was behind a truck theft hotline set up two years ago for