11th July 2007

Nearly one in five small businesses in the UK say they have fallen victim to vehicle crime according to recent research conducted by Zurich, who underwrite and administer Volkswagen Van Insurance.

The study revealed that 17 per cent of small businesses have suffered the effects of vehicle crime, with 51 per cent of those incidents in the last two years. Of those hit, 42 per cent said their vehicle was stolen with the same levels saying they had lost their contents. With an estimated £3,000 worth of equipment, stock and personal items, in the back of an average plumber’s, carpenter’s, or electrician’s van, this could equate to up to £2.2bn in stolen tools across the country.

Astonishingly, and despite all the bumper stickers to the contrary, nearly 16 per cent of small business van drivers leave their tools in their vans overnight with one in 10 leaving power tools or their job-specific specialist equipment.

To make matters worse, small businesses are also potentially losing out financially, with 21 per cent not insuring vehicle contents. Should they lose business as a result of the vehicle crime, more than one in three (34 per cent) would not be able to reclaim financial loss through any form of business interruption insurance.

According to the survey, the most vehicle crime-prone area was the West Midlands with 31 per cent of small businesses suffering, hotly followed by London (26 per cent) and East Anglia (22 per cent). The construction industry seemed to be the sector suffering the most, with 27 per cent of small businesses counting up the costs of vehicle crime.



With the number of new vans hitting the streets totalling 170,074 so far this year , alongside the decrease in car theft , could small vans become more of a target for criminals in the future?

Chris Woollam Head of Automotive Sales at Zurich, who underwrite and administer Volkswagen Van Insurance, has the following advice for business owners; “The nation thrives on the work done by small businesses so we need them to recognise the need to change how they store their vehicles contents. They need to be operating safely and free from crime, but we also need them to get back up and running if they do fall victim. Volkswagen Van Insurance 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.”

Small Business Vehicle Crime Hotspots in the UK (1= highest rate of van crime)

Rank Region Percentage of SMEs with crime-related vehicle claim
1 West Midlands 31.2
2 London 25.7
3 East Anglia 22.2
4 Scotland 20.0
4 South West 20.0
6 Wales 15.2
7 South East 15.1
8 East Midlands 12.2
9 North West 11.3
10 North East 11.1