Is there such a thing as caravan security?

[deegee.world]

I'm an old motorcaravanner. I do charity work in India and need a
caravan for periodic visits back to the UK. I've never had a caravan but my impression from reading on forums is that they are less secure than motorcaravans.
Can you please tell me what security equipment I should fit to (a) ensure my safety when sleeping in the van and (b) satisfy insurers? I favour physical security and would like to make up lightweight frames with grilles and screw them to the inside window frames to prevent casual entry. Does this sound feasible? Which are more vulnerable, doors, windows or vents and how can I secure them? All help much appreciated.

 

[Raywood]

Other than tales of gassing on Franch Aires I have not heard of problems with people breaking into an occupied caravan and see no reason to fit the security devices you suggest. What you need to do is immobilise the caravan when unoccupied to guard against theft of the unit and a good quality wheellock is the minimum needed for that. You can buy a high security door lock from many dealers if you want to upgrade the door as the locks fitted by the manufacturers tend to be cheap and have a very limited number of key models.
Most insurers will require a whellock but the actual detail opf their requirements varies.
Windows are vulnerable but I have never seen anyone put frames inside them and the wall board is probably not strong enough to make them worthwhile any way. I have never heard of entry through the vents and doubt it is possible.
I doubt motorhomes are more secure as they mostly use the same equipment.

 

[deegee.world]

Thank you Raywood.
Can anyone further elaborate on whether CHRS registration, tracker devices, window alarms, space alarms etc are worth it?

 

[Parksy]

The items that you listed are 'worth it' in that if fitted the insurance premuim is kept to affordable limits, although not many caravans that I know of have window alarms.
Here in the UK unoccupied caravans are vulnerable and most insurers insist on at least a wheelclamp and an alarm system being ftted whenever caravans are unoccupied.
All UK manufactured caravans built after 1992 have the VIN number etched into the polyplastic windows and the CRiS registration scheme although not compulsory acts as an HPI check for caravans.
We obtained a discount on our caravan insurance premium because we had a tracker fitted. The tracker cost £99 per year to keep it activated but the operators told us that our tracker no longer worked and they wanted to sell us a new model for £400.
The insurance discount came to £90 per year so we didn't bother to buy a new tracker, we just pay the same amount in insurance premium.
Secure storage helps to protect caravans from theft but the bottom line is that if a caravan thief really wants to steal your caravan they will, so a good insurance policy is the best defence.

 

[deegee.world]

I do find the often repeated line that a thief can just have it, a bit depressing. As I plan to buy a rather attractive Eterniti, presumably someone will wnat it and I won't have it for long. As I plan to keep it in storage for 9 months and on site for 3, I was banking on a secure site being just that...secure.

Which is the BEST deterrent? Is it the wheel lock? If so, would having one on each of the four wheels help?

 

[Parksy]

I fully understand your concerns and would add that the visible deterents on a caravan will help, and secure storage is a must but there is no single security device that would absolutely guarantee that your caravan would be safe.
Security has to be coupled with a good insurance policy such as one offered by the C&CC or the CC which are industry standard. Realistically a determined caravan thief will steal any caravan and depressing or not, I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
Click Here to see how the bar stewards used oxy acetelyne cutting equiment to casually steal a caravan from somebody's driveway after they'd knocked on the door to ensure that the house was unoccupied.
This caravan was protected by a removeable steel post set into concrete, a wheel clamp, a hitch lock, an alarm and cctv .
Choose a storage site where the owners live on the premises and can see who is coming in and out, some sites have key code entry which is a further deterrent.

 

[deegee.world]

I live in a small community and, despite there being many bicycle thefts from outside, my cycle has never been locked and never stolen because it is unique and can be instantly recognised.

I wondered about painting a caravan in garish colours. Even having something on the roof for police helicopters to spot (or have I been watching too many movies?) Do you think that unique paintwork would help make the van less attractive as it would be more difficult to sell on? Is that what happens to most stolen caravans, they get sold on?

 

[Parksy]

Not wishing to stereotype anyone but it's a fact that many caravans are stolen by travellers.
Evidence suggests that they use some of them to live in and they sell others either in Europe or other parts of the UK.
One of the rerasons why these people have continued to get away with this is because the police rarely investigate the crime, and there are known instances when police have known where a stolen caravan is located but have flatly refused to retrieve it.
I don't want to depress you but have a look at THIS to see what tourer owners are up against. (take blood pressure tablets first

)
Why ruin your caravan to try to make it less attractive to the scummies?
Insure it, have a good tracking device and alarm fitted and keep it somewhere that's secure.
I've no experience of hub locks but the manufacturers claim it to be the best way to ensure the security of a caravan Click Here to see what they claim

 

[Raywood]

My feeling is that in the short term an Eterniti is unlikely to be stolen as it is simply too easily recognisable due to the very low numbers on the road unless stolen to order. If you are putting wheellocks on all four wheels use four different models just to make it that bit more difficult to steal as each will need something different and you can at least tell one key from another. At the end of the day however if a thief is willing to remove one wheel lock he is probably will;ing to remove four if that is the caravan he wants.
N ot sure making the caravan distinctive even saves them, It is some years back but the C&CC had their caravan manouvering fleet stolen despite the fact they were all clearly marked as such.

 

[deegee.world]

Thank you everyone

 

[otherclive]

My philosphy is to use as much physical security as I can so I have two large wheel clamps, and Alko hitch lock and rear steady locks. The aim being to move a potential thief onto something less secure. Howver if you search Youtube it is frightening how easy it is to pick locks. So angle grinders are not needed. The typical barrell lock can be undone inless than one minute and I have seen an onsite locksmith remove a failed lock and cut another onsite within 5 minutes jus using readily available equipment. But fortunately good security is sufficient particularly if you are stored on a CASSOA silver/gold site. Thefts from CC and C&CC sites are extremly rare, in fact I have not read about one for many years.