Keep Clear of Foreign Parking bays

[Gafferbill]

Anaesthetists are highly trained professionals that render anxious conscious people unconscious so that a medical procedure can be carried out and completed before they regain consciousness.

Criminals are said to use a cheaply obtained Ether containing aerosol to induce a deeper sleep on an already sleeping victim.

 

[emmerson]

But the Royal College say its not possible, and they, I'm afraid, are the experts.

 

[SteveW77]

Anaesthetists are highly trained professionals that render anxious conscious people unconscious so that a medical procedure can be carried out and completed before they regain consciousness.

Criminals are said to use a cheaply obtained Ether containing aerosol to induce a deeper sleep on an already sleeping victim.

As a professional mechanic, I have used Bradex easy start for years, I have never seen or even heard of anyone being gassed or even being made to feel unwell when using this product. I would like to point out the the amount of ether in a can is very small, most of the product is a propellant gas like butane.

. Ether is an extremely pungent agent and a relatively weak anaesthetic by modern standards and has a very irritant affect on the air passages, causing coughing and sometimes vomiting. It takes some time to reach unconsciousness, even if given by direct application to the face on a cloth, and the concentration needed by some sort of spray administered directly into a room would be enormous. The smell hangs around for days and would be obvious to anyone the next day. Even the more powerful modern volatile agents would need to be delivered in tankerloads of carrier gas by a large compressor
Text supplied by RCoA

Steve W

 

[SteveW77]

Then what do you suggest happened? Something did.

I would suggest may be they take more water with what ever they drink.

Steve W

 

[ProfJohnL]

But isn't it odd that it always happens to someone else, and never the poster?

Here's one, 32 years ago we were camping in a frame tent on a large site just north of Barcelona & were one of about 40 tents robbed one night.
When we woke up in the morning there was a slit in the front of the inner tent & slits in both the outer & inner tents by where my wife's head had been.
We were told that the modus operandi was to unzip the main door & cut a slit in the inner tent, spray some of gas into the inner tent, then go outside & slit the tents where the woman's head is on the theory that the woman sleeps on her handbag which contains the money, cards etc.
We were lucky insofar as that our money was in the car, pockets etc & all that was stolen was a hanging suitcase & suit (I had a business meeting in France on the way back), the suitcase was found on the adjoining beach but not the suit.
The Police gave a crime number but just weren't interested

Wow - this story is quite incredible - literally:-
For a start 40 tents in one night! it must have been a very lucrative night for our light fingered friends. But hang on, 40 tents - how much aerosol knock out gas would they need?
Surley it must have been a very daring team who would enter a camping site with sufficient numbers of people and cans of gas to be able to pull off such a mammoth hyst. They must have spent quite along time at each tent, The noise of zips would certainly cause dogs to bark so the chances of them being detected whist performing their nefarious task must have been massive. Working at night I'm amazed none of them tripped on a guy rope as they worked their way round to the sleepy heads side of the tents.

Couple the above to the availability of suitable anaesthetics, and the difficulties of administering them I have to say that whilst I cant call it a lie but I find it incredibly difficult to believe its true.

Nick I think you are a little early with your April fools story.

 

[mullsy1]

Not at all....they just brought their own tanker.

 

[Beehpee]

When I was in France I was parked up and two gorgeous blonde girls tapped on my window, while I was talking to the one she started removing her clothes, while I was distracted the other one stole the cash I had hidden in a draw, it's really common over there, I know because it happened to me 4 times in a week.

 

[Parksy]

There have been many claims involving occupants of caravans and motorhomes being 'gassed' when staying overnight on Aires but the Royal College of Anaesthetists maintains that there is no possibility of this happening with known anaesthetic gasses.
Click Here to read their statement.
Just in case the stories are in fact accurate an antidote to the gas has now been developed at great expense, and after extensive testing it is now on the market in handy aerosol cans

 

[emmerson]

Parksy, I guess we need a lorry-load!

 

[NickinFrance]

Nick, once again,"we were told"! I don't dispute that you were robbed, but what was the evidence of gassing?
I repeat, if that sort of gas was available 32 years ago, why isn't it in use now in hospitals?

It was the Police who told us they used gas & while I could sleep in a war zone my wife is a fairly light sleeper & I'm sure she would have woken up with someone feeling around under her head.

 

[NickinFrance]

For a start 40 tents in one night! it must have been a very lucrative night for our light fingered friends. But hang on, 40 tents - how much aerosol knock out gas would they need?
Surley it must have been a very daring team who would enter a camping site with sufficient numbers of people and cans of gas to be able to pull off such a mammoth hyst. They must have spent quite along time at each tent, The noise of zips would certainly cause dogs to bark so the chances of them being detected whist performing their nefarious task must have been massive. Working at night I'm amazed none of them tripped on a guy rope as they worked their way round to the sleepy heads side of the tents.

That's what happened, it was a very large site right on the beach so there were no problems with access to the site. I didn't say it was one person who did all the tents
I guess if they had been detected, they would have just 'done a runner'.

 

[otherclive]

People should give these thieves some credit for their skills as on one large site near Dunkirk there were a number of thefts from caravans during the night and no one was woken. Now that site uses ex CRS/Foreign Legion as night security staff with a large German Shepherd (that is a dog not a big Teutonic chap ) and since their introduction there have been no more incidents. But when I am out late taking the dogs for their last comfort stop it sure intimidates me to see the security team come out from some darkened spot where they have been standing and watching.

 

[xtrailman]

But isn't it odd that it always happens to someone else, and never the poster?

Here's one, 32 years ago we were camping in a frame tent on a large site just north of Barcelona & were one of about 40 tents robbed one night.
When we woke up in the morning there was a slit in the front of the inner tent & slits in both the outer & inner tents by where my wife's head had been.
We were told that the modus operandi was to unzip the main door & cut a slit in the inner tent, spray some of gas into the inner tent, then go outside & slit the tents where the woman's head is on the theory that the woman sleeps on her handbag which contains the money, cards etc.
We were lucky insofar as that our money was in the car, pockets etc & all that was stolen was a hanging suitcase & suit (I had a business meeting in France on the way back), the suitcase was found on the adjoining beach but not the suit.
The Police gave a crime number but just weren't interested

Wow - this story is quite incredible - literally:-
For a start 40 tents in one night! it must have been a very lucrative night for our light fingered friends. But hang on, 40 tents - how much aerosol knock out gas would they need?
Surley it must have been a very daring team who would enter a camping site with sufficient numbers of people and cans of gas to be able to pull off such a mammoth hyst. They must have spent quite along time at each tent, The noise of zips would certainly cause dogs to bark so the chances of them being detected whist performing their nefarious task must have been massive. Working at night I'm amazed none of them tripped on a guy rope as they worked their way round to the sleepy heads side of the tents.

Couple the above to the availability of suitable anaesthetics, and the difficulties of administering them I have to say that whilst I cant call it a lie but I find it incredibly difficult to believe its true.

Nick I think you are a little early with your April fools story.

Why is it incredible?
My garage was broke into over 30 years ago, along with another 30 others on the estate!
The police told me that some weeks later when i called for a recovered item to be returned.
And that took place place with a inch of snow on the ground, seeing the boot size of the tea leaf I'm glad he ran off when he set my Mk1 cortina home made car alarm off.

 

[SteveW77]

People should give these thieves some credit for their skills as on one large site near Dunkirk there were a number of thefts from caravans during the night and no one was woken. Now that site uses ex CRS/Foreign Legion as night security staff with a large German Shepherd (that is a dog not a big Teutonic chap ) and since their introduction there have been no more incidents. But when I am out late taking the dogs for their last comfort stop it sure intimidates me to see the security team come out from some darkened spot where they have been standing and watching.

I would give the worlds security forces more credit than the "Highly skilled" thieving scum that pray one the unsuspecting. If they cannot administer these so called knock out gasses with out killing more people than they rescue, then I doubt if anyone can.
I also find it strange that anyone who has had the comprehensive anti terrorist training given to the CRS/Foreign legion would end up with a job patrolling a camping site.

Steve W

Steve W

 

[xtrailman]

People should give these thieves some credit for their skills as on one large site near Dunkirk there were a number of thefts from caravans during the night and no one was woken. Now that site uses ex CRS/Foreign Legion as night security staff with a large German Shepherd (that is a dog not a big Teutonic chap ) and since their introduction there have been no more incidents. But when I am out late taking the dogs for their last comfort stop it sure intimidates me to see the security team come out from some darkened spot where they have been standing and watching.

I would give the worlds security forces more credit than the "Highly skilled" thieving scum that pray one the unsuspecting. If they cannot administer these so called knock out gasses with out killing more people than they rescue, then I doubt if anyone can.
I also find it strange that anyone who has had the comprehensive anti terrorist training given to the CRS/Foreign legion would end up with a job patrolling a camping site.

Steve W

Steve W

I don't find it strange, one of the sites i use every year is run by a ex SAS chap.

 

[SteveW77]

People should give these thieves some credit for their skills as on one large site near Dunkirk there were a number of thefts from caravans during the night and no one was woken. Now that site uses ex CRS/Foreign Legion as night security staff with a large German Shepherd (that is a dog not a big Teutonic chap ) and since their introduction there have been no more incidents. But when I am out late taking the dogs for their last comfort stop it sure intimidates me to see the security team come out from some darkened spot where they have been standing and watching.

I would give the worlds security forces more credit than the "Highly skilled" thieving scum that pray one the unsuspecting. If they cannot administer these so called knock out gasses with out killing more people than they rescue, then I doubt if anyone can.
I also find it strange that anyone who has had the comprehensive anti terrorist training given to the CRS/Foreign legion would end up with a job patrolling a camping site.

Steve W

Steve W

I don't find it strange, one of the sites i use every year is run by a ex SAS chap.

There is a significant difference between "Run By" and "Uses as Night Security Staff"

Steve W

 

[chrisbee1]

Seems to me these “gassers” must be either exceptionally skilful or extremely lucky. Anybody ever woken to find themselves being gassed or know anyone who has been killed by too much gas being used? If not this collection of “gassers” spread over a large area could earn more working as anaesthetists in hospitals.

 

[JonnyG]

time to repeat what i said a couple of years ago on this same topic..... IF such a gas did indeed exsist that could safely knock out
people without A.anychance of killing them or brain damage,and B didnt need 300 or 400 litres of the stuff to work in a caravan then why would said criminals target caravaners? by now every type of robbery would be down to a gas attack and not just caravanesr whom park up in Aires!!!!!
Errr why would municipals be any safer anyway,afterall criminals could just as easily gas caravaners on municipal sites to! or are municples sites all kitted out with gas masks for caravaners!!!!!!!
dont you just love silly season sounds like municples sites trying to drum up extra business....

 

[otherclive]

My point was that the theives are so skilful in gaining entry without waking the occupants that the occupants may be led into believing that some form of narcotic gas must have been used. I see no conflict with ex CRs/FL wanting to be security guards. If you have ever spent time in Aldershot or Plymouth you might have seen ex paras or marines acting as security staff in bars and clubs.

 

[SteveW77]

My point was that the theives are so skilful in gaining entry without waking the occupants that the occupants may be led into believing that some form of narcotic gas must have been used. I see no conflict with ex CRs/FL wanting to be security guards. If you have ever spent time in Aldershot or Plymouth you might have seen ex paras or marines acting as security staff in bars and clubs.

I have not spent any time in Plymouth or Aldershot, but I have spent the last 30 odd years stopping in French campsites and aires and I have never stumbled across an ex Legionnaire or CRS officer.
I must be looking in all the wrong places because I have not been gassed or robbed either . In fact I am beginning to feel excluded. Still maybe better luck this year.

Steve W

 

[Gafferbill]

…… people once used their personal experience to decide that the World was flat!

I for one having witnessed a 03.00hrs robbery from a small box van truck whilst the driver slept, understand how these people work.
They loaded their stolen goods into a 1 ton van that they pushed to and from their target.
The lookout having seen me even had the cheek to gesture to me with a vertical finger across his lips warning me to keep quiet!
I was not about to interfere with at least 6 men in their late twenties whilst my wife slept in our caravan.
This took place at the service area at Grande Synthe near Dunquerque where the BP garage some 50 meters away has video surveillance.
I do not think they used any gas.

I too have never been robbed in 37 years of stopping in service areas all over Europe but I have met many people who have so I have an open mind.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I am quite certain that many people will have been robbed whist away, but how many of those thefts that took place actually involved gas which is the core of this thread?

Now I cannot claim that gas has never been used, but for the reasons already expressed in previous postings, it does seem the stories are not actually backed up with proven facts and evidence of 'gassing' in caravans and tents.

We know that gassing would be difficult, and the difficulty must increase as the volume of the space the gassers are trying affect, so it is more plausible it has happened to truckers, as cabs are quite small, but a tent, with all it ventilation is far less plausible, caravans fall somewhere in between but closer to tents than lorry cabs.

A thief must also consider the risk to profit outcome, - a lorry may contain a lot of new high value goods, that will obviously be a far more potentially lucrative caper, where as a camper in a tent who may (not guaranteed) have some cash and a few small items which are of of course already second hand.

I'm sorry but as yet I have seen no conclusive reports or evidence that confirms that gas has been used in any caravan or camping incident.

 

[otherclive]

Agree totally with Prof John. If gassing was effective how come the UK criminal fraternity have not taken it up either on HGV parking areas or the many campsites/CS/CLs which are generally fairly open to outsiders given that they are'nt meant to resemble prisons?