Caravan burglary
After 43 years coming to France we had our first mishap, we were overnighting at Tournus campsite on way to Rhine Alps area when thieves hit us and three other Dutch vans. It just shows how useless the modern plastic locks are. Fortunately my wife woke up, nothing was stolen and we found car keys on grass in the morning. The lock is OK just a hole under the plastic surrounding. Will buy an alarm ASAP If anyone is staying at Tournus watch out!
Alan
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Sorry to hear this.
After thirty-seven years of French holidays, our caravan was broken into in 2015 - on a tiny municipal campsite in the Aude on the one night of our stay when the caravan wasn't occupied!. A very strange mix of things was taken - such as the awning canvas but not the poles, the hoover but not the hose and tools..........., and including two Isabella chairs which we hated. Absolutely no damage was done to the lock or the van.
We do make extra sure, however, that absolutely nothing of real value (car keys, camera, computer, wallets, passports, etc) is accessible to anyone entering the van. Caravans generally have lots of places hidden away where things can be kept safe.
It's not nice when it happens, but we haven't let it affect us, and continue to use the van without any additional security - though we did change the lock!
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Sorry to hear this and for you warning others.
Our house was burgled whilst we slept more than 30 years ago but I still remember the horrible feelings it triggered. They had a drink from the cabinet and took some cash together with my driving licence. Fortunately we had moved our passports and holiday cash the day before so our loss wasn't great - it's the nasty taste.
I do hope you don't let it spoil your holiday but that's easier said than done.
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I am not sure that a stronger door lock solves any problems as it will just cause more damage. Also, the windows are flimsy and cannot be effectively secured. Whilst an alarm may have deterrent value, most caravans can be ransacked in seconds. The best form of security is not to leave valuables accessible.
Our caravan was "turned over" whilst we were at the pool on a site on the Med. The door was easy to pop and the contents were strewn everywhere but nothing was taken as we had everything valuable with us. Several caravans were ransacked and the thieves took car keys from one van and drove off in the owners Merc. The whole thing took no time at all.
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I agree that stronger locks are not the answer. I lost the caravan keys while on holiday in Italy last year and the spare keys were inside the caravan. With a little help from my neighbour who lent me a long thin screwdriver it was no big deal to open a window and crawl in through that and nothing was damaged in the process, not even the window latch.
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i think Tammygirl was at Tournus a few days ago.....
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It is quite easy to fit a small personal alarm to the inside of a caravan door. We have used one for some years. It is connected to the door and the door frame. If the door is opened it will pull the pin out of the alarm and set it off. It is an inexpensive way of alerting you to someone trying to force entry through the caravan door. This is the sort of thing I have in mind.
David
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The we were miles away at the time our caravan was broken into, and so wouldn't have been able to set the alarm inside the van. Is there an alarm which can be set up without you having to actually be in the caravan at the time.
We tried to fit one which was recommended by our caravan dealer, a few years ago, but it was difficult to get the alarm lined up because of the 'fly-screen frame' which extends beyond the door. If anyone else has fitted one which (inexpensive) type did you find useful?
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My son in law has set up an automated hidden camera in his front porch at home - it takes photos of anyone who comes in and sends them to his phone wherever he is. So he gets photos every day of the postman and the political canvassers. Something similar could be set up in a caravan - it wouldn't stop you being robbed while you were away but you could get pictures of who it was. Might that help?
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We have a battery Maplin pir intruder alarm that we have transfered to all our leisure vehicles for years we install it in the door way facing the front of the van it has a keypad to enter a security code(you can use your own) it has a 120db siren, gives 15 second to exit and 3 sec entry unless you have the code, and can be also used as an entry chime they are still available if you go on the Maplin website code is VW625
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Val
I was thinking about the circumstances the OP found themselves in when someone tried to get into their caravan whilst they were asleep. My method would at least wake you up and more than likely scare the intruder off and given the noise make it more difficult to carry on their nefarious ways elsewhere in the campsite. As others have said it's also worthwhile being aware of where you store things like computers/handbags/phones etc. Ideally away from the entrance and better still stowed away out of sight.
My last caravan came with an alarm fitted so no idea how much they cost. The one I have in my motorhome cost in the region of £700!!! There are a lot of tech savvy people out there that come out with all sorts of clever things. Like having an old phone which can transmit the GPS position if the van is stolen or alert you to the van being broken into. Trouble is if you are 50 miles away what good is it?
David
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If you are actually in the caravan/Motorhome a bolt on the inside of the door might be useful while you are asleep - provided the door is not too flimsy.
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That device mentioned by David looks useful for the situation described in the original post. I must say that we have never been worried about such things although the idea of someone getting into the van while we're asleep is a bit frightening especially as our fixed bed is at the rear next to the door so anyone getting in would have to pass us on the way out increasing the likelihood of violence. We're not that bothered about things actually being stolen - it's only "stuff".
I also don't see much point in an alarm for when we're away from the van as (a) it's likely to go off at random and (b) people notoriously ignore such things.
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Just the thing. What a really good idea. It will cover people trying to get in at night and with a little string will also act if you are away, as time is the important thing when you are being robbed. The longer the intruder has the more you lose. Alarms, lights and spreading items of value around the van all help to cut down the time the intruder has to work.
Good cheap idea
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