Another Autoroute Robbery

[Larby]

I do have my lad (see Avatar) who may question why they are in the MH but this fella is looking for a new home:

This is a dog with a Chinese Name. Whether you own a dog or not, you must appreciate the efforts of this owner to sell her dog.
Look at the picture and then read the sales pitch below.

Dog For Sale. Free to good home. Excellent guard dog. Owner cannot afford to feed Jethro anymore, as there are no more drug pushers,towel heads, thieves, peadophiles murderers, or molesters left in the neighborhood for him to eat. Most of them knew Jethro only by his Chinese street name, Ho Lee F**k!!!

 

[Wyaye wires]

Travelling with 4 wire fox terriers and an alarm system on the M/H AND I'll still be too worried to sleep properly. It is Johnny foreigner land after all :Blush:
But then again I'm like that at home too.
Seriously though, stay switched on about your surroundings and the people around you and you should be OK.

 

[hilldweller]

Its not always about cost when people overnight on services. Sometimes they are just to tired to carry on or have come off a midnight ferry. Not the best places to park but if you have to please have decent internal security. BUSBY

No choice - yes, BTDTGTTS.

We were parked up in Calais docks one night but the machines running were doing my head in so hit the road. We ended up wedged in amongst the HGVs on a Mway aire. Ladies of the night wandering between all trucks. Dodgy looking guys in dodgy looking cars, presumably their agents.

Even with the alarm set we didn't sleep a whole lot but survived. At dawn it was a different place, no dodgy cars, just a load of happy sleeping truckers.

 

[Jim]

We have got our head down countless times on motorway aires in France and spain. I always try and set up so anyone peering in will see my head, it seems to have done the trick

Also most of those sleeps have been during the day as I like to travel at night.

 

[hilldweller]

We have got our head down countless times on motorway aires in France and spain. I always try and set up so anyone peering in will see my head, it seems to have done the trick

I can understand this.

Especially when we see what you have for a snack.

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[DavidG58]

We have got our head down countless times on motorway aires in France and spain. I always try and set up so anyone peering in will see my head, it seems to have done the trick

Also most of those sleeps have been during the day as I like to travel at night.

Surely a new item for the shop, a window badge 'caution do not enter Jim on board' with appropriate image of top of head

Seriously though, those of us with dogs still close the blinds at night, nicely hiding us and the dog, so unless the dog wakes up before the window is put in or the door jemmied we are not a lot better off, unless of course they do get in that is

 

[Phill D]

most decent alarm systems have an external visual warning that an alarm is present and set, we certainly have that as many do on "strikeback" and invested in additional LED alarm warning near the habitation door as well as front and rear of the motorhome.

Gives the scotes a warning that they are about to set it off and a good reason to move on to something else.

 

[DavidG58]

This has opened my eyes to the idea of extra security, I only recently noticed that when I lock my habitation door from inside at night, despite being central locking, the drivers door did not lock, we have slept many a night with an unlocked front door

I do not think we can set our alarm when inside

I too have just ordered 2 alarms to attach to both doors, such a low cost simple solution to avoid an intruder having the misfortune of a face to face with me

But like others I really think it is down to being careful and then bad luck, sometimes it is just not going to be your day, hence the extra alarms

 

[Jaws]

We always stop in service areas when travelling..
I took the advice of someone who has been doing it for almost as many years as I have driven.

Always park inbetween the lorries

Thieves will try and select a vehicle that is away from others..

The lorry drivers also tend to look out for each other and you too if you get a chance to chat to them
We Do have an alarm on the door but something that says 'Hello, Welcome' in a vaguely Spanish accent is not really much of a deterrent oh:

 

[Wildbill]

in most cases just some simple precautions like having your had saved walking round the van with a baseball bat
barking dog recording

cut all joking apart I have spent many a night on services
a few rules that work for me

(1) stay alert be vigilant don't drink stay sober

(2) don't close you're blinds till you need to you can see who taking interest in you're van.

(3) high profile as near to bushy Aras as you can with in view of kiosk

(4) don't levee your valuables in sight hide them lock them up

(5) fit a bolt to inside of door or fit an alarm

(6) this is not recommended unless you can handle your shelf have a fire extinguisher handy it makes a bit of a mess but most robbers don't want confrontation.
and if you disturb them they are likely to do one of two thing leg it or have
a go at you so it gives you protection of some kind as there no good for putting out fires out.

and when the cops cum they are looking for a white man

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[Trikeman]

Not that I would carry out such a thing but a genuine question here. What would be the stance of the law if one did try to protect possessions and kin in this situation? I know there was a lot in the press a while ago about the guy who blasted a house burglar with a shotgun who was 'protecting' himself,,,,,, the reasonable force bit was perhaps 'stretched' a little there.

In this country (not too sure in the rest of Europe) what could actually happen if someone clouted a robber/burglar, with an extinguisher for example, and the robber/burglar 'took a turn for the worse',,,, so to speak.

What could really happen to the MH owner in this society of ours - would we expect an 'Injury lawyers for You' type scenario when suddenly the 'poor robber' would be the affected party and we should have afforded him the luxuries of our contents and wine cupboard as he had a rough childhood?

As I started this with, I would not condone the use of violence (the Wife may think a little different, that's why she sleeps by the door) but being woken up with a start in the night and being confronted by someone I am not too sure what may happen. After all we are programmed with the flight or fight instinct, no where to run in the MH, especially in the sleeping bag though.

Serious question though.

Trikeman.

 

[Jaws]

After our Norfolk lad did a few years chokey the law was changed

Originally it was worded that you could use reasonable force.
That was very ambiguous and left it wide open, but was basically interpreted as, if he has a stick, you can use a stick, a knife, then a knife etc etc.

Eventually it was accepted that while a robber may be well versed in the use of a knife, the average householder would stand no chance, so things were made more realistic and biased towards the house holder.

I do not know EXACTLY how it has changed but do know that nowadays, if you consider your life is in danger, considerably more force can be used to defend you and yours.

Personally, I would suggest a tazer as an excellent deterrent

 

[Phill D]

Not that I would carry out such a thing but a genuine question here. What would be the stance of the law if one did try to protect possessions and kin in this situation? I know there was a lot in the press a while ago about the guy who blasted a house burglar with a shotgun who was 'protecting' himself,,,,,, the reasonable force bit was perhaps 'stretched' a little there.

[HI]In this country (not too sure in the rest of Europe) what could actually happen if someone clouted a robber/burglar, with an extinguisher for example, and the robber/burglar 'took a turn for the worse',,,, so to speak.[/HI]

What could really happen to the MH owner in this society of ours - would we expect an 'Injury lawyers for You' type scenario when suddenly the 'poor robber' would be the affected party and we should have afforded him the luxuries of our contents and wine cupboard as he had a rough childhood?

As I started this with, I would not condone the use of violence (the Wife may think a little different, that's why she sleeps by the door) but being woken up with a start in the night and being confronted by someone I am not too sure what may happen. After all we are programmed with the flight or fight instinct, no where to run in the MH, especially in the sleeping bag though.

Serious question though.

Trikeman.

i think a possible charge of manslaughter may be on the cards and a need to prove self defence.

best defense is deterrent , every time in my book..:thumb:

 

[HymerB544]

Burglary on the autoroute

If you killed him with the fire extinguisher, I'd say your best line of defence would be that you were only trying to put him out ,

 

[Rob and Val]

We have been told that the door locks on our Talbot Express are particularly vulnerable. Although we have electronic deadlocks fitted to both cab doors, there is nothing visible to let would-be burglars know that the deadlocks are there. We solve this problem by fitting a bright orange 15ft ratchet strap (bought on eBay for just over a fiver) through the interior door pulls. This holds both doors securely shut and is a visible deterrent - even at night - so we sleep securely. In daylight a burglar could still smash a cab window but, hopefully, he would prefer to move on to an easier target.

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[Frentchy]

After our Norfolk lad did a few years chokey the law was changed

Originally it was worded that you could use reasonable force.
That was very ambiguous and left it wide open, but was basically interpreted as, if he has a stick, you can use a stick, a knife, then a knife etc etc.

Eventually it was accepted that while a robber may be well versed in the use of a knife, the average householder would stand no chance, so things were made more realistic and biased towards the house holder.

I do not know EXACTLY how it has changed but do know that nowadays, if you consider your life is in danger, considerably more force can be used to defend you and yours.

Personally, I would suggest a tazer as an excellent deterrent

Are they the weapons they point at my shopping at super market check outs? They really HURT!!!!!

 

[DBK]

Not that I would carry out such a thing but a genuine question here. What would be the stance of the law if one did try to protect possessions and kin in this situation? I know there was a lot in the press a while ago about the guy who blasted a house burglar with a shotgun who was 'protecting' himself,,,,,, the reasonable force bit was perhaps 'stretched' a little there.

In this country (not too sure in the rest of Europe) what could actually happen if someone clouted a robber/burglar, with an extinguisher for example, and the robber/burglar 'took a turn for the worse'

You would go to jail unless you could demonstrate you had to hit him as the only way to prevent serious injury or death, i.e. he was threatening you with a knife and it was not possible for you to run away. The Norfolk farmer went to prison because he chased after the burglar and shot him. If the burglar is trying to escape it is hard to prove they are still a threat.

Other European countries will differ but if you apply the same principles as in the UK you should be fine.

The USA is of course a very different case...

 

[Snowbird]

I do quite like the system they have in the States

 

[Peter & Elaine]

I do quite like the system they have in the States

Yes but would you ever loony with gun
or as it is now with only 1 in ten loonys with a gun
and rest just have big choppers in their pants

 

[Chris]

The secret is that if you shoot a burglar , you remember the burglar was pointing a gun at you.

If you punch a burglar, you feared the burglar was about to punch you.

Your word against a common thief is likely to be favoured.

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[Peter & Elaine]

The secret is that if you shoot a burglar , you remember the burglar was pointing a gun at you.

If you punch a burglar, you feared the burglar was about to punch you.

Your word against a common thief is likely to be favoured.

And my defence against his big chopper would be?

 

[Snowbird]

Yes but would you ever loony with gun
or as it is now with only 1 in ten loonys with a gun
and rest just have big choppers in their pants

I never had a problem with firearms ever

 

[Chris]

When I was a student in Bristol I was walking back to my girlfriends flat late at night when this chap ran up to me and demanded my ' building society bank book". Such a strange demand - so I decided to deck him. He got up and started feeling in his pockets( I suspected for a knife) so I really hit him.

He got up and ran off and I called the police and warned them he was on the loose and left my details.

Next morning at the address I had given the police , was a message from the police asking me to call them which I duly did. They offered to come and pick me up.

I went to the police station and suddenly realised I was being questioned about an assault. This guy was apparently in custody with a badly broken face and his father wanted to press charges.

Luckily I knew about " self defence" as a defence and told the coppers about him feeling about in his pockets.

At which point the police concluded the interview and told me that a knife had been found on him.

My faith in the police evaporated at that early age. I had called them!!

Would they have told me about the knife if I hadn't told them what I was scared about?

 

[busby]

i think a possible charge of manslaughter may be on the cards and a need to prove self defence.

best defense is deterrent , every time in my book..:thumb:

Would worry about the law after i had decked him and probably just drive off afterwards. BUSBY

 

[hilldweller]

If you punch a burglar, you feared the burglar was about to punch you.

And if you punch him to the ground, garotte him then cut off his head with a chainsaw ?

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[Larby]

When I was a student in Bristol I was walking back to my girlfriends flat late at night when this chap ran up to me and demanded my ' building society bank book". Such a strange demand - so I decided to deck him. He got up and started feeling in his pockets( I suspected for a knife) so I really hit him.

He got up and ran off and I called the police and warned them he was on the loose and left my details.

Next morning at the address I had given the police , was a message from the police asking me to call them which I duly did. They offered to come and pick me up.

I went to the police station and suddenly realised I was being questioned about an assault. This guy was apparently in custody with a badly broken face [HI]and his father wanted to press charges[/HI].

Luckily I knew about " self defence" as a defence and told the coppers about him feeling about in his pockets.

At which point the police concluded the interview and told me that a knife had been found on him.

My faith in the police evaporated at that early age. I had called them!!

Would they have told me about the knife if I hadn't told them what I was scared about?

Did you find out at which station his father was at and his rank ?

 

[Chris]

And if you punch him to the ground, garotte him then cut off his head with a chainsaw ?

You make sure he is found with string in his pocket and a chainsaw in his hand.

Perhaps a note on his person as well saying how the voices had told him what to do:thumb:

 

[PhilandMena]

Thanks for the warning John and it goes to show that we must always be on our guard against being robbed. But before anyone starts panicking about being robbed in France am sure there have been several similar incidents in the UK in the last week that have never made the news.

Can you name 3 ?

 

[Snowbird]

Can you name 3 ?

What 3 robberies in the UK in one week ?. There are perhaps 100 per day in any city centre that dont even make the local rag .

 

[Minxy]

We have a Jack Russell.

My Patterdale Lily trumps your Jack Russell!

She's the sweetest little thing but when she's in the camper and someone comes near it she goes absolutely nuts ... lets just say she wasn't named after Lily Savage for no reason!

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