For those of you new to our blog and our work on vehicle and tool theft, here’s a quick catch-up for you.
For tradespeople, losing a van isn't just losing a vehicle.
It's losing the way you get to work. It's losing the place you keep your tools, materials and equipment. It's cancelled jobs, awkward calls to customers, insurance forms, replacement costs and the stress of not knowing when you'll be back on the road.
That's why van theft can't be treated as a simple vehicle crime. For the people affected, it's personal.
At InstallerSHOW 2026, TVL joined CT1, ProtectAVan and the Metropolitan Police Service for the launch of Vehicle Watch: a new pilot scheme designed to help make trade vehicles more visible, easier to identify and harder for criminals to use your van without being noticed.
Held at the NEC Birmingham from 23 to 25 June, InstallerSHOW brought together thousands of people from across the installation, construction, heating, plumbing, electrical and built environment sectors. For us, it was exactly the right place to have a practical conversation about van security and what we can do to protect the trades.
So, what is Vehicle Watch?
Vehicle Watch is a pilot scheme to help tackle van theft, created alongside CT1 and the Metropolitan Police Service. The idea itself is pretty straightforward. Protected vehicles are fitted with tamper-proof, retroreflective stickers. These stickers let police patrols know that the driver is willing to be pulled over to verify whether they’re the owner of the vehicle.
And if someone tries to remove or interfere with a sticker, well they can’t as CT1 has developed tamper-proof sticker which can only be removed professionally. A visible deterrent and identification tool all in one.
There are two label types:
- a timed label, for vehicles that aren’t normally on the road overnight
- a non-timed label, for vans (OK, businesses) with less predictable hours
Why collaboration counts
We know that thieves who target vehicles adapt to new products and deterrents as they come to market. Their methods change, their targets change… in short, they adapt. But we can’t let that stop us, it means our response has to keep moving too.
For TVL, the launch of Vehicle Watch fits with a core belief that’s at the heart of everything we do: the best security products come from understanding what's actually happening on our streets and roads, then building practical ways of dealing with those threats.
That means listening to tradespeople, working with partners, and sharing information. Above all, it means creating security products that make sense in the real world, not just on paper.
The Vehicle Watch pilot brings together different pieces of that puzzle. CT1 has helped drive the initiative. The Metropolitan Police Service has brought incredible enforcement insight and our colleagues at ProtectAVan are handling controlled installations at their Brentwood facility. We, meanwhile, are bringing our wider experience in vehicle security, innovation and protecting tradespeople.
That's exactly the kind of joined-up approach van crime needs.
Security works best in layers
We know from experience that tradespeople and fleet owners don't need scare tactics, they need clear, practical advice.
For some, the first step might be improving physical security with upgraded locks, load area protection, latch protection or whole-vehicle protection. For others, it might be tool marking, tracking technology, better parking habits, reporting suspicious activity and break-ins, or opting into the Vehicle Watch initiative.
The right answer depends on the vehicle, what it’s got on board, where it's parked and how it's used day-to-day.
But the principle is the same: make the van less attractive to target, harder to take and easier to identify if the worst does happen.
That's where Vehicle Watch earns its place. It adds a visible signal that a vehicle is part of a recognised prevention scheme. It gives people another way to spot when something doesn't look right. And it helps keep the issue of van theft visible in the places where it matters.
Big conversations at InstallerSHOW
The CT1 stand was busy across the whole three days, start to finish.
We were bowled over by the appetite for important conversations about van security, Vehicle Watch and the practical reality of having your vehicle, tools and livelihood taken away. We know that proper prevention starts long before a crime happens, so having the chance to talk to those at the sharp end is really valuable.
The more van owners understand their risks, the better decisions they can make. The more thefts and attempted thefts are reported, the clearer the picture becomes. The more the industry works together, the harder it becomes for criminals to stay one step ahead.
Which is EXACTLY why events like InstallerSHOW are important. We get the chance to speak directly with people who rely on their vans every day and help turn awareness into action.
Keeping van crime on the agenda
Of course, Vehicle Watch won't end van theft overnight. But it IS an important step forward – practical, visible and built around the reality that stolen vans don't just disappear from driveways and worksites. They’re being driven on roads, through towns and in cities.
And the more identifiable they are, the better for all of us.
