VAN owners in Abergavenny are calling for direct and tougher action as the level of thefts of vehicles and their contents spirals in the north of Monmouthshire.

Frustrated by the perpetrators’ seeming ability to strike at will and the lack of town centre security cameras, small business operators have been taking to social media to share ideas in a determined effort to protect their livelihoods.

Local DJ, Matt Lane, himself a recent victim of theft stated, ‘Something needs to be done; it’s all very well saying ‘Be on your guard’ but this is the worst I’ve ever known it. It’s our livelihoods that are being taken away from us.

Matt (pictured) lost around £4,000 worth of DJ equipment when thieves broke into the back of his van just before Christmas while he and his partner were enjoying a meal in Llanfoist.

Local ice cream man, Chris Copner states, ‘I emailed the police just before Christmas to try and do something with this, they didn’t bother responding to my email.’

Justin Price commented, ‘I’ve had every power tool taken from my van twice over the years, it is totally demoralising and a despicable crime, but equally no trade guys should buy cheap and obviously stolen tools.

He added, ‘In fairness to the people of Abergavenny, I doubt these crimes are committed by locals. We’re seen as an affluent town so we’re targeted. These despicable pigs don’t realise or care how hard it is to build a tool kit that pays the mortgage, I have been thirty years on the tools and if mine went tonight, I could not earn for the foreseeable future; that is scary.

In desperation, Matt is now suggesting parking vehicles in a single location and mounting a all-night guard, stating, ‘All the van owners in town, park up under the cameras in Fairfield car park - if the cameras are working - each night and we take it in turns to stay up all night and watch the vans.’

He told the Chronicle, ‘Following the theft of my disco equipment, the police rang me after a week and said they had exhausted all their leads. So that’s it? The criminals have got away with it; They’ve just taken away my livelihood.

‘My mate has had his van broken into three times now! All the van owners in Abergavenny are at risk, we’re not safe. It’s horrible having to check if you’re being watched when loading your van. ‘Most of the van drivers in Abergavenny are small business owners, we need to protect our livelihoods.’

PCSO Ruth Moyse of Abergavenny Police told the Chronicle, ‘We are doing what we can but we reiterate, we need the help of the public to combat this. We are looking into possible patterns of activity. In many cases it appears there is little damage to the vans which suggests the perpetrators may have master keys or decoders.’

She added, ‘It is, we appreciate, a nuisance to have to take all tools and valuables out of the van and into a safe location at night but it will help to frustrate the thieves. There are also hints on how to code, mark and register your property from www.immobilise.com.’

However, there remains a perception that the thin blue line of law enforcement is thinner than ever. Sharon Jones states, ‘With no police around, they have no fear of getting caught. When we reported a vehicle stolen from the yard we just got a crime number - no one came to check for evidence; we don’t stand a chance.’

Sarah Philips added, ‘I think what ought to be done is more of the neighbourhood watch thing. Where I was brought up, farms were getting targeted a lot so they set up night patrols where everyone would take it in turn to drive around and report anything straight away that looked suspicious. It really did seem to work.’

Some locals suspect the raids are organised, Paul Holly commented, ‘They must have an outlet to fence the items off. No one with any sense is going to hold on to hot stolen stuff. A reward helps to get people talking.’

But fears that the calls for tougher action are falling on deaf ears have prompted Matt to comment, ’It’s a sad day and age we live in when your first thought every morning is whether your van has been broken into during the night. These break ins have now become an epidemic, when will it end?’

Local police inspector Neil Jones said, ‘We have increased our patrols in this area following these thefts and ask if you know anything about these crimes or saw any suspicious behaviour in the area please call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.