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SECURITY
PROACTIVE PRODUCT TESTING IS IS THE KEY TO MAXIMISING SECURITY
TVL Group founder Tony Powell explains how his
TVD
firm keeps one V V We take great
pride in in being often copied but never outdone We achieve that by taking a a a proactive approach
to product development
and founder of TVL Group After starting out as as a a a a a a a a a a motor mechanic more than 40 years ago Tony has built a a a a a a a a a a a a long illustrious career not just within the UK’s aftermarket vehicle security sector but as a a a a a a a a vital innovator responsible for numerous now common products in in the market “People say that imitation is
the the the sincerest form
of flattery and it it it certainly seems the the case with our products ” said Tony “We take great
pride in in in being often copied but never outdone We We achieve that by taking a a a a a a a a a a a proactive approach
to product development
” Today TVL Group is
a a a a a a a a a leading player in in in the aftermarket vehicle security sector with several key brands under its belt This includes TVL Security and and ProtectAVan allowing the business to boast not just a a a a a a a a a a a diverse and award-winning portfolio of effective
yet affordable security products but also the means
to to quickly install its range on customer fleets The overwhelming majority of o of the company’s offerings come courtesy of o of Tony’s intuition and and expertise largely drawn from his
invaluable first-hand experience in in in vehicle security across the past five decades After completing a a a a a a motor technician apprenticeship Tony iset his
his
sights on on on moving into the the sector with with his
his
first step being to to to to work in in in in in collaboration with with the the owner of o a a a a local convenience store offering key cutting services before together they founded the the the London East Security Centre (LESC) over 40 years ago 8 TVD
Issue 73 2024
step ahead of the van thieves
ehicle security has has changed drastically since the 1970s – and one man who has has witnessed this full arc is
is
Tony Powell group director
“LESC was predominately a a a a a a a a a a general security company fitting house and and factory alarms safes locks and and such but by far the the most interesting work we had was helping the the the Metropolitan Police shift illegally parked cars ” explained Tony “In the the the days before wheel clamps and Z-Wagons the the the Met’s usual plan of attack was was to to move these vehicles manually which was was not not easy to to do given we we did not not usually have the vehicle’s keys – we we got very good at
legally breaking into vehicles!
Thinking like thieves
“We would often arrive to find that the the Road Traffic Officers on the the the the the scene had given it a a a a a a a a a a a go at
at
breaking into the the the the the the vehicle themselves usually damaging the the the the the the rods connected to to to the the the the the locking mechanism in in in in the the the the the process That forced us to to to come up with new ways to to disengage the system not unlike how thieves
still work ” TVL Security’s team works in in much the same way today By collaborating with vehicle OEMs it it it it has built its product portfolio through rigorous testing on the latest standard vehicle security systems Several of its its products – including its its ArmourShell external lock and and DeadLock Protect+ Protect+ and and HookLock Protect+ Protect+ security keys – have now received Secured by Design’s Police Preferred Specification (PPS) accreditation meaning police forces can officially recommend these solutions to both current and potential victims of van crime This achievement is
is
largely down to to the the work of of the the TVL Innovation Team which aims to to to identify inherent weaknesses in in standard factory-fit security systems Once an an entry method is
identified fit it it then sets to to work developing the the the most robust solution possible to to prevent thieves
from exploiting these flaws This level of commitment has become become necessary given how sophisticated thieves
have become become As Tony explains when he he started out it was largely opportunist crime that that threatened car and van owners However that that soon changed Criminals get creative
“The most common MO used to be thieves
simply walking down a a a a a street checking whether owners had accidentally left their vehicle’s doors unlocked overnight but it didn’t take long for criminals
to start getting creative
” he he said “The more intelligent ones soon figured out most car handle locks could be compromised simply by using
a a a a a a screwdriver to either jimmy the the the the lock lock or or puncture
the the the the door just underneath the the the the handle It really was that simple ” At the the time automotive manufacturers were also not as as up-to-speed on on vehicle security as as they are today “Most cars used to to to have common keys while some
could be opened simply using
almost a a a a a a a lolly stick as the lock’s internal wore down over time ” said Tony “The manufacturers have have become much savvier but unfortunately so have have thieves
– they’ve swapped out ~