Message Forums

Quote: Originally posted by trog100 on 07/8/2018

---

i keep my van in my back garden.. its a fully fenced in enclosure with a seven foot fence all round and i have remote access security cameras..

about three weeks back i set off for a scots touring holiday.. something the locals know i do every so often..

we set of on a friday afternoon and stopped for the night about 200 miles away from home..

on saturday morning just after 9 am i used my laptop to remotely have a look at my cameras.. by pure chance i happened to pick the exact same time that some thieving git was breaking in..

the crook was pretty quick off the mark and it was all done in broad daylight.. the entire thing took less than ten minutes.. he arrived hooded up and basically unidentifiable..

watching your house being broken into from 200 miles away is a tad frustrating thats for sure..

he smashed a shed window tried to kick the back door down and then chucked a brick through the kitchen window and climbed through.. once inside he thought he was safe and removed his hoody top and whipped out his yellow morrisons swag bag he had inside his hoody..

he didnt know about the internal camera i have set up in the kitchen.. he had a very quick look around the kitchen and then went upstairs.. he appeared back in the kitchen after about four minutes..

i do have the whole thing on film and culprit the has been identified and i assume he will get jailed..

the moral of the story.. maybe its not a good idea to keep your van at home.. when its not there the robbers know you are away.. and without my camera footage and the guy taking his hoody off in the house there is no way to stop these people.. hooded up he was in and out in less than eight minutes.. i saw him come i saw him go..

i also read that only one out of ten reported crimes results in any kind of court action.. i assume mine will.. but its a scary thought that 9 out 10 dont..

trog









Post last edited on 07/08/2018 11:19:37

---

Quote: Originally posted by trog100 on 07/8/2018

---

the fact i have outside cameras and its well known i am sure has detered some would be robbers but it didnt deter this one..

when they are hooded up they know they cannot be identified well enough for a court conviction.. the policeman that dealt with my case said the he looked at the street cctv cameras and whilst they showed a hooded figure running away from my house the figure could not be identified..

in and out in about eight minutes i dont see anything that would have stopped this guy.. someone told him we were away and he came and did his business..

he obviously relies on speed and being hooded.. his mistake in my house was not realizing when he took his hood off he was staring full frontal at a camera..

this guy got away with a few gold watches i had stored upstairs in my bedroom cupboard and maybe a few other things.. they had been there for years still in their boxes unused..

i feel lucky in some ways he could have done more damage and grabbed more valuables..

basically these guys are unstoppable if they know your property is unoccupied which brings me back to keeping your van at home.. i think i am going to store mine elsewhere.. to me it seems the only answer..

having a caravan and not daring to use it isnt a valid option.. he he

trog

---

Quote: Originally posted by JTQU on 07/8/2018

---

We were done with our caravan at home, our mistake was going to work during the daytime.

The van was not touched.
We are one of the 9 in 10 and left feeling the authorities care not a jot, relying on your insurance to take care of you. Which in many ways it does not.

Hope you fare better, a lot better.

ps; our action has been to install a system almost guaranteed will leave a thief deaf; probably we will be sued by them!

Post last edited on 07/08/2018 13:57:20

---

Quote: Originally posted by Bob61 on 08/8/2018

---

Quote: Originally posted by JTQU on 07/8/2018

---

We were done with our caravan at home, our mistake was going to work during the daytime.

The van was not touched.
We are one of the 9 in 10 and left feeling the authorities care not a jot, relying on your insurance to take care of you. Which in many ways it does not.

Hope you fare better, a lot better.

ps; our action has been to install a system almost guaranteed will leave a thief deaf; probably we will be sued by them!

Post last edited on 07/08/2018 13:57:20

---

The authorities do care but it is not their job to look after your personal property...it is your responsibility to do so and to take all necessary precautions to protect your own possessions. In the OP's case he did a brilliant job of protecting his home and property and hopefully that will lead to an arrest and prosecution. People who don't take the relevant precautions can't expect to get the same results.

It is true that if a burglar knows you regularly take your caravan on holiday then it makes his life much easier. You could of course hire a home sitter which would certainly give him a shock. Nobody is immune though and anyone who regularly leaves their home unoccupied is vulnerable...all the more reason why everyone should install a good security system and a clear CCTV system if possible.

Without anything to go on all the police can do is check for forensics, fingerprints/footprints/blood/cigarette ends for DNA (often fruitlessly) and make door to door enquiries in case anyone saw anything. After that it is down to Intelligence and quite often offences are solved when the thief is caught elsewhere (maybe on a good CCTV) and admits or has in his possession property from other burglaries.

The police don't have magic wands and they are not miracle workers...sometimes people have to take responsibility for the security of their own possessions. The police can arrest anyone they think responsible but if the evidence doesn't stack up they have to let them go...there is always another day!

Post last edited on 08/08/2018 17:55:44

---

Quote: Originally posted by madasaman on 09/8/2018

---

I keep my car in the garage when not driving it, so out of sight anyway. But if the low lifes want what you have, not a lot you can do to prevent it, unfortunately.

---