Barcelona bandits !

[busby]

It nearly was boom boom about 3 years ago when I was looking at this strange liquid coming out of my van while having a smoke. I decided it was to do with the air con.

It was actually a diesel leakoh:

If it was petrol then be worried...Diesel not such a worry..spilt diesel big problem for bikers though.....

 

[Jim]

Scary story. About 25 years ago. A good friend of mine was asleep in his car on a Southern French Motorway rest stop at around 1am, He was awoken by a guy tapping on the window with a gun, a pistol. He just put the car into gear and scarpered with the guy initially running alongside whacking the glass with the pistol, My friend sped down the slip road as fast as.. well you can imagine. . twenty miles at top speeds on the motorway thinking he was being chased. Then he ran out of petrol

He'd needed fuel, he'd pulled into that service station to get fuel but thought he'd get a quick kip first, then get fuel and coffee afterward. He abandoned the empty car scaled saftey barriers ran and hid in an old abandoned farm building for a couple of hours (No mobile then) In daylight he came back to his car and was recovered by the services. He was Really shook up though, and understandably. There is a lesson there, always have a hundred miles in your tanks. See your 1/4 tank marker as empty and always keep levels well above it.

Back to the OP. I know that the common advice is to point a camera at the vehicle that is trying to stop you. But I would not recommend you do that. Much better in my opinion is to be seen using the phone but keep cameras out of the way

If it were me trying to rob you, trying to get a motorhome to stop, and the people are refusing to stop and are clearly on the phone, I am probably going to back off and find a weaker softer target. However, if I think you've taken a video of me, my face and my car I might be more determined to stop you so that evidence does not go anywhere.

So for what its worth, my advice would be. Always know what numbers to dial. Get them on speed dial. Visibly get on the phone, and start reporting what is happening but any pics taken would be done discretely, you don't want to give them an extra reasons and impetus into making you stop.

All that said, to those that have never ventured across the channel you really are more likely to win both this weeks Wednesday and Saturday lottery jackpots than be involved in a hijack. If you think there are a lot of motorhomes in the UK, then you will be amazed at the number that join you on your journey south, French, German, Dutch, then add the caravans and the trailers tents and there are zillions of them. Most of those zillions have been up and down those roads for a lifetime and crime has been nowhere near them. Thousands of them don't read motorhome forums and have been stopping for sleeps on motorway aires for ever.

I should say that even of the relatively few crimes on the highway, weapons are very rare, as is assault. Invariably crimes like these when they do occur are distraction crimes and you will only lose what is easily grabbed from your motorhome.

 

[chaser]

All that said, to those that have never ventured across the channel you really are more likely to win both this weeks Wednesday and Saturday lottery jackpots than be involved in a hijack. If you think there are a lot of motorhomes in the UK, then you will be amazed at the number that join you on your journey south, French, German, Dutch, then add the caravans and the trailers tents and there are zillions of them. Most of those zillions have been up and down those roads for a lifetime and crime has been nowhere near them. Thousands of them don't read motorhome forums and have been stopping for sleeps on motorway aires for ever.

I should say that even of the relatively few crimes on the highway, weapons are very rare, as is assault. Invariably crimes like these when they do occur are distraction crimes and you will only lose what is easily grabbed from your motorhome.




Must say, until I started reading this forum , it had never crossed my mind that we were in any more danger in a motorhome than in a car or in fact at home, we have met and talked to people in Spain , Italy and France that if we had seen these posts first we maybe would have drove away from at high speedoh:.
It certainly makes you think but although we maybe a bit more cautious now I don't think we shall change anything much, and somehow it always seems safer in Europe than in lots of places here, never been to Barcelona so reserve judgement on that one, but dare say it's not that much different than some seedier parts of most uk towns, you are just more aware hereby knowing the place.

 

[Larrynwin]

Reminds me of when we were in Scotland staying at the Caravan Club site in Edinburgh, needed a prescription and went to a Lloyds pharmacy a few minutes from site .
Just inside the door a full time security guard not seen that in Spain yet

 

[Jim]

Must say, until I started reading this forum , it had never crossed my mind that we were in any more danger in a motorhome than in a car or in fact at home

I don't think you are. You are just as likely, some might argue, you are more likely, to be a victim of crime in the UK than many places in Europe.

Much more scary are the figures in Europe about those who die in road traffic accidents, it's getting better, but somehow we accept that and shrug it off, were more used to that danger and we logically think we can control it by giving it some thought and driving as carefully as possible. And it's true, by doing that we do reduce the risk of accidents considerably. Apply the same process to security and the chances of you becoming a victim of crime are virtually zero.

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[Spottycatz]

Our van was broken into in France at the campsite in Bordeaux last September. It was two Brits from Manchester that did it:Angry:
Scum comes from all places!