Kent Police Get Stuck Rescuing Man from Security Van

How many Police officers does it take to free a man trapped in a security van? Well according to recent events in Kent at least three officers are needed: two to get trapped themselves and one to phone the security company.

The man in question became trapped in his secure van after accidentally setting off the van's security system designed to protect it from potential armed robbers. As if that wasn't embarrassing enough there was a crowd of eyewitnesses:

"At first we didn't realise what had happened, the alarm on the van was shouting out 'this van is under attack, please call the police, please call the police'. Me and a colleague just thought it was a malfunction, but then I could see the van moving and knew someone was inside."

Things took a turn for the worse once the local police turned up. Two officers managed to get themselves trapped inside the van also without even freeing the driver much to the amusement of the crowd and fellow police officers:

"One managed to find a way into the escape hatch and got inside to see if the guard was OK, but then shut the hatch and got stuck himself. His colleague then somehow managed to get to the front of the van to try and free the pair, but she got stuck in the driver's seat as the doors would not open.

Then lots of coppers turned up and started laughing, but after about 15 minutes one of them had managed to get through to the security company and I believe some sort of pass code was activated to disable the alarm and all were then able to get out. The guard was fine and the police left laughing their heads off."

The fact that nobody managed to free themselves until the security company had provided the pass code goes to show just how secure these vans are. The police are probably just glad that they got trapped inside with the driver and not with an armed robber!

Transit Van Tops Most Stolen List

The humble white Transit van has topped the list of most stolen vehicles for the second year in a row according to the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS). It is thought that the Transit is most likely to go missing due to its potential contents.

“The rise in thefts of vans demonstrates their potential value in terms of spare parts, scrap metal and the prospect of stealing extra ‘booty’ within the contents of the van. Often, these stolen vehicles are dismantled quickly, so our advice to vehicle owners is to ensure that their security is as tight as possible.” - Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hooper."

The only other van to feature on the list was the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter which shows that commercial vehicles require tough security features. Commercial vans are like kinder eggs to thieves hence the prevalence of sticks stating 'no tools are left in this vehicle overnight' etc.

The list in full:
1. Ford Transit
2. Ford Fiesta
3. Vauxhall Astra
4. Volkswagen Golf
5. Vauxhall Corsa
6. Ford Focus
7. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
8. Ford Mondeo
9. Ford Escort
10. Vauxhall Vectra

So if you drive a commercial van remember to make sure your van is secure at all times. Empty the contents whenever possible and don't advertise to thieves by leaving the doors open unnecessarily. When looking at vans for sale consider the security measures in place to prevent your van from becoming a statistic.