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 Topic: thefts from caravans
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11/4/2009 at 4:34pm
Location: Norf
Outfit: Elddis
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I hate being the bad news guy here, but Ive locked up some serious caravan thieves and its still a good market in the criminal world.
My advice to the OP is to get the van moved - if its one of those areas, then it will happen again. As with domestic burglaries, one of the most common tricks is to revisit the scene when the stuff has been replaced and nick it again.
Caravans are not designed to be secure, you cannot make enough locks to make them secure. There is an easy way to get the door off with little effort - I of course wont publish that here, also a dead easy way to remove most wheel clamps with no tools at all. The windows can be easily prised as they are just plastic fittings.
We have to accept that these vans are easy to get in, preventative measures such as good home lighting (if stored at home) - good security awareness and general common sense is the answer. A big tip - thieves hate CCTV - a dummy camera mounted high on the house is a fantastic deterrent if you cant afford a real one.
As for seasonal sites - well the bad news again is that is the main target. The thieves know that generally during the week you wont be there - you can try the old tricks such as timed lights, radio on sort of thing - but another tip is to actually advertise your van is empty with nothing in it. A notice outside stating "van is emptied of all valuables when unoccupied" can actually work and leave the blinds up so they can see in.. not nice but actually works.
I am not a fan of alarms - people dont care nowadays - how many times do you hear an alarm going off and do nothing but tut?
The only time I would recommend one is if the pitch opposite is always occupied and this would alert them or if stored at home and would alert YOU.
Most casual thieves would run off if a loud alarm sounded and there was a chance of being spotted. But again, vans arent designed to fit them and most of these cheap motion alarms can be simply pulled off the wall and put under a cushion. The best alarm is one where the sounder box has a seperate battery supply and is hidden under the van.
No great news here, vans will never be secure, the locks are purely decoration and serve no real purpose.
Get off that site, if it's a targetted area. Speak to the local Police when looking at any seasonal pitch - most will be happy to tell you if they have had many thefts from that area. OK, any pitch can get casual thieves - in fact the nature of the type of theft (low value property) is just druggie scumbags wanting a £20 fix will mean no site is safe. BUT some sites are in particular hotspots and these should be avoided as it is easy money.
This is one reason I dont seasonal pitch - its just too obvious.
And what is the biggest indicator you are not in?? NO CAR OUTSIDE!!! Not 100% fool proof, but that will often get their interest.
The good news is, unlike the continent, aggravated caravan theft (when you are actually in bed when they break in) is rare as it is very risky and very tricky due to the size to not wake the occupants (plus they get a lot of jail for those). PLUS most of this type of thief are druggies and not very fit and healthy and very susceptible to a good pasting if caught.
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*:)
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, would it be ok to put your post on my website so it can reach more caravaners . Also if you have any other caravan security tips please post them .
