I don't know if this has been covered before but fairly recently a friend of mine had his works Transit entered one night whilst parked on his drive. There was no obvious signs of entry or any damage but the van had been practically cleared out of all his tools, he's an agricultural fitter and carries a lot of expensive kit. Further investigation threw up a lot of Transits being targeted and the MO is exactly the same in all instances. It appears that the thieves are using what is known as a 'tibbe' key lock pick to gain entry, this is evident by the lack of any damage. These tibbe keys are used to unlock almost any Ford vehicle if you have lost your keys or locked them in the vehicle, most locksmiths carry them. These are readily available on the internet but anyone that has one in their possession without reasonable explanation and are stopped by the Police run the risk of being arrested for 'going equipped to steal', I believe that these are illegal to own in Ireland unless you are a registered locksmith. As yet there has been no test cases as far as I know but it brings into question weather it is legal to sell them, which could mean that suppliers are in effect 'aiding and abetting'. When Amazon as a seller was asked why they are selling these, potentially to a criminal element, their reply is that they don't care and absolve themselves from any responsibility as the stuff they sell they sell on behalf of third parties.

Not illegal to own but as you say if someone is stopped with one in their pocket with no reasonable explanation then it is regarded as "going equpped".
I own one myself but do carry it for professional reasons.
It's very handy to gain access to cars with Tibbe locks if required to get a dog in to search a vehicle and the keys are "missing" (I must have dropped them Officer - honestly).
I have also used the tool a couple of times in order to open vans where dogs have been left in them on hot days with no ventilation and the only other usual route of entry involves smashing windows.


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