POLICE are appealing to all van owners to safeguard the contents of their vans in North Somerset following a spate of thefts

POLICE are appealing to all van owners to safeguard the contents of their vans in North Somerset following a spate of thefts.Since January 2007, 45 thefts from vans have taken place, 15 of which have involved tools being stolen.Offenders have been targeting mid to long wheel base vans, forcing the side sliding door and stealing high value tools.The majority of the victims have reported the value of their stolen tools to be more than £1,000.The majority of offences have occurred near main routes including the A38, A370 and the A369.Crime reduction officer PC Steve Burrough said: "We are asking van owners to remember to firmly secure their vehicles and, more importantly, put valuables out of sight."We also recommend people mark their tools with their postcode so they can be identified if stolen."If a van is broken into we would ask the owner to wait for the crime scene investigation unit to examine the vehicle before any repairs are made."By doing this van owners are not inadvertently destroying evidence and helping the police in their search to identify the offenders and bring them to justice."For more information contact Avon and Somerset Police on 0845 456 7000.