You can do a ton of research to find just the right tool storage solution for a particular need. You can read reviews, ask questions, and talk to other people who have used similar solutions. When you finally do make a choice, you are expecting that storage solution to deliver as advertised. So here’s a question: is security something you consider before you buy?
We live in a day and age in which just about anything is for sale on the black market. Hand tools are especially lucrative, given how much they go for brand-new. That makes tools a target for thieves who understand what an opportunity they represent. This is why security needs to be part of the purchasing equation.
Ask the University of Arizona
We will not bore you with a lengthy list of stories detailing stolen tools. But we will give you one example by way of the University of Arizona.
Your typical college campus is supposed to be a safe place, right? Well think again. A technician at the University of Arizona Art Building recently reported the theft of two electric drills and their batteries to local police.
It turns out that the stolen items were taken from a lab that is left open during the day but secured once classes are over. Unfortunately, the tools used in the lab are not secured. This created the perfect opportunity for someone to walk in – on two separate occasions – and take what they wanted.
Unfortunately for the university, the two drills and their batteries were valued at some $700. That is a steep price to pay for making tools accessible to just about anyone. Furthermore, it’s a safe bet that this theft is not an isolated incident. There are probably a lot of other things that are stolen but never reported.
Secure Your Tools and Tool Boxes
For our purposes, the idea of security covers both tools and tool boxes. Beginning with the former, the common-sense thing to do when buying tool storage solutions is to buy boxes and cabinets that you can lock. Whether they have built-in locks or clasps capable of accepting combination locks or padlocks, there really is no excuse for having an insecure toolbox.
Locks will not stop thieves who are intent on stealing, but that’s not the point. Most instances of petty theft are crimes of opportunity. The idea behind locking up your tools is to make such crimes as difficult as possible. If there is any risk that a thief might be caught by making noise or taking too much time, he or she will probably not bother trying.
As for your tool boxes, they need to be secured as well. A smaller box that can be carried away by hand should never be left unattended even if it has a lock. Otherwise, a thief can make off with your tool box and then make all the noise he/she wants when he/she gets it home.
Larger boxes need to be secured in place by some external means. If you have a rolling cabinet on casters for example, you should have a way to chain it to the wall or around a support beam. If you have a toolbox in the back of a pickup truck, it should be bolted to the bed or frame.
Once again, the point here is to slow down the thief. Make it as difficult for him or her to get what he/she wants quickly and quietly, and he/she’s likely to go find a softer target.
Hand tools are valuable on the black market. As such, they are targets for opportunistic thieves. Don’t be a victim by leaving your tools in boxes unsecured. Instead, take the necessary steps to keep thieves at bay.
Sources:
The Daily Wildcat – http://www.wildcat.arizona.edu/article/2018/03/n-pobeat
