Let’s face
it, there are those in our society who choose to steal,
and caravans, camper trailers and other RV’s are reported
stolen more often than you think.
Camper
trailers and caravans are stolen from front yards and
unsecured areas. Anything ‘attractive and portable’
located outside your RV is also easy pickings for
thieves.
There is a
story of a couple who had their caravan advertised for
sale. The caravan was located in the front yard of
their home and the husband came home from work and
noticed the caravan was not there. He went inside to
discuss the success of the sale with his wife only to
find out that she did not know what he was talking
about. Someone had pulled up at the front of their
home, hitched up the caravan and left without anyone
being aware.
How do
I stop the theft of my caravan or RV?
Things you can do:
Make
sure you have adequate insurance to cover your
caravan/RV. Make sure you know what is covered
under the contents portion of the policy or if it is
necessary to take out extra cover under your home
contents policy to cover items away from your
residence. An extra premium is likely to be
applied.
If
storing your caravan or camper trailer in your yard
you could cement an anchor point into the ground
onto which you could padlock the chains from the
caravan or trailer draw bar
Always
close your sunroof and hatches, lock windows and the
door when you are leaving your rv, even for a short
time
Consider leaving the radio on and close the curtains
Put
outside tables and chairs away or secure them with a
stainless steel cable threaded through the wheel of
your RV and secure with a padlock. Stainless steel
cable can be made to measure from any boat shop or
chandlery
Fit an
alarm or purchase a remote sensor alarm. You can
purchase these from stores like Dick Smiths or DIY
electrical stores
Use a
timer switch. When you are out for the day and
expecting to be back late these time switches can
activate a light giving the impression someone is
present
Don’t
leave valuable items such as watches and other
jewellery inside the rv
Don’t
leave the registration papers inside
Mark
small items – permanent marking engravers can be
obtained from your local Neighborhood Watch.
Invisible ultra violet (UV) marking pens can be
borrowed for the purpose of item identification
Install a small safe
Write
the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)/Chassis
Number of your caravan/RV in less obvious places
within the caravan/RV ie: cupboards, under fridge
cavities etc. This assists in identification when
recovered if the official VIN has been removed.
Have a
separate record of your RV registration number, VIN,
make and model as well as serial numbers of items
like TV’s and micro waves. Even a photograph is
handy to assist for identification purposes
There are some products you can
buy to deter theft and there are other products that
provide tracking or tracing of your RV.
Search this Site
