Tips to help keep your van and tools secure will be shared at a crime prevention event in Watford tomorrow.

There have been numerous reports of thieves targeting vans to steal tools and machinery, and police want to provide all the advice they can to make it as difficult as possible for people to break into vehicles.

The workshop will be held between 9.30am and 2pm at Screwfix in Imperial Way, Watford.

Officers will be on hand to fit tamperproof number plate screws.

PCSO Dominik Tokarczyk, from the safer neighbourhood team, has organised the event and said: “Unfortunately, we have seen a rise in thefts from vehicles recently and this has often involved the theft of tools from vans. We know that many of the victims are self-employed and unable to work without their tools so we want to do all we can to help people better protect their property.

“We’d encourage people to come along to get advice and information on how they can keep their vehicles and tools more secure.”

He added: “We would always advise people to remove tools from vehicles overnight. If this isn’t possible, fit a good quality tool safe and try and park close to a garage, fence or brick wall to restrict access. It’s also a good idea to mark your tools. This makes them less attractive to thieves as they are harder to sell on.”