After having thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment stolen from his vehicle over a span of two years, electrician Ray Taylor reached the end of his rope (or electrical cord, as the case may be).
So the Wolverhampton, England-based contractor put his electrical skills to work: he wired his Citroen Dispatch to give tool thieves a shock when they touch the door handle, the Sun reports.
The zapper, which was repurposed from an electric fly swatter, is confined to the door handle of the van and comes with a clear warning sign: “Danger Live Terminals.” The electrical shock won’t do any lasting damage to the thieves, but it’s enough to cause them to jump, according to the report.
And if the zap isn’t enough to ward off ne’er-do-wells, the van also emits strobe lights, a siren and fire-alarm-like sounds when tampered with.
“It’s solved all my problems,” Taylor told the Sun, “so I can sleep easy.”
