Intruder in van whilst sleeping

[Donnieliz]

We were in Carcassonne last week on a camping car aire and about 3.40 in the morning we were robbed, the thief must of been fully in our motor home to reach the table where our two phones and one laptop were, the laptop was hidden behind the back of the bench seat (the m/h is rear fixed bed) he also opened my wife’s bag and removed €500. We slept through the whole thing
(Neither of us drink so I can’t blame that) I could not believe how easy it was to pick the lock (driver’s door) just a slight dent on the key hole. My question is and it’s a bit of horse and stable door thing how good are the Fiamma door locks or should I make some sort of dead lock inside and beef up the habitation door lock or locks. I don’t want to use a ratchet strap between doors I was thinking more of a simple hook and eye and some proprietary locks for the habitation door. Sorry for the long winded post.

 

[Ernesto]

Very sorry to hear of such an intrusion it must have been frightening when you discovered the loss.
If it’s the Decato type of cab pass the seat belt up through the door pull
And click it into the anchor point. This works with the seats turned or otherwise,
The door cannot be opened enough to gain entry.
Hope you can put it behind you and enjoy the rest of your holidays.

Could they open it enough to stanley knife through the seatbelt and cause even more damage ?

And you’ll still have a damaged drivers door to fix if they dont check before screw-drivering it open first?

 

[Donnieliz]

Didn't the alarm screaming wake you up?

No even the German lady next to us screaming didn’t waken us.

 

[Brains]

Could they open it enough to stanley knife through the seatbelt and cause even more damage ?
And you’ll still have a damaged drivers door to fix if they dont check before screw-drivering it open first?

Of course, but it's one additional tool they have to carry.
There are two main types of motorhome thieves, those that want the entire vehicle and those that just want selected contents.

As eddie said above, you just need to make YOUR vehicle less desirable than those nearby.

There are two people in a wood, and they run into a bear.
The first person gets down on his knees to pray; the second person starts lacing up his boots.
The first person asks the second person, “My dear friend, what are you doing? You can’t outrun a bear.”
To which the second person responds, “I don’t have to. I only have to outrun you.”

 

[Jo May]

Might work?? Volume might need switching on.

https://fb.watch/yB81KYsMuQ/

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[PlacidoD]

I guess if I were taking bets on it, then yes I’d expect campsites to be lower risk…. But everywhere is safe, until it isnt.

It doesnt cost much really, to make your own van much less attractive to thieves

I have a head start on many on making my van less attractive. It is a tidy 07 plate 6 metre van. Compared to shiny new bells and whistles vans I may already be a less obvious target!!

I already "go to bed" with my valuables and a dog bowl outside the door sounds like an excellent idea!

The Milenco lock also looks worth investigating. Anybody know if it is an easy replacement for the more usual Fiamma fitting?

 

[enark]

You are missing a trick here, a new product for the cheaper end of the market!
You could sell the entire kit on line in a large box for £25 + P&P.

An instruction sheet with diagrams of where to attach the string.
A short roll of paracord in a bright colour

And then three bell options:

• A couple of small cat bells for the cheap end.
• A Dutch cycle bell mounted on the steering wheel with the lever attached to the door for the mid range.
• With the option of going for the full Swiss Cow Bell upgrade for an extra £10.

If you want cheap - and effing scary….

Pull wire, release trigger - BANG…. Thief will be off like Usain Bolt..

 

[Fragle]

Didn't the alarm screaming wake you up?

I'm sorry to hear that the OP was broken into. Probably because the van close by had obvious signs of an alarm.

We had the Autowatch on this van when we bought it. Not bad but no real signs of an alarm being on lights or labels and when it went off I've had louder wet f***t's.

Sleep much better now the Raptor is installed. Expensive yes but it works. We do mostly wild parking and the little blue light works a treat. I can't believe people don't have obvious alarm security. Most important upgrade you can get in our opinion.

 

[Burge]

No even the German lady next to us screaming didn’t waken us.

Was wondering..... HOW.....did you know she was Screaming if you were asleep

 

[CazPaul]

Was wondering..... HOW.....did you know she was Screaming if you were asleep

She probably told them in the morning when they were then awake

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[Burge]

Screaming with Pleasure we wonder

 

[jollyrodger]

As some of you may know I've taken over ownership of Joy's ( movan ) van and whilst it has all the bells and whistles, or in this case screaming sirens (thank you eddie ) from Vanbits growler alarm, apart from warning stickers ,if that creaping tealeaf can read in the dark who's to know it's alarmed ,until it's waking up the whole of the surrounding area?
So with that in mind on the hab door I've fitted a Milenco in/out security lock easy enough for any competent diy'er.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/39486124...pid=5339023013&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

For the front Cab doors of this particular model there is no door handed to run a strap through,and too far forwards anyway.
No room to fit security catches I have in stock either.

So a 8mm treaded eye bold and threaded rivet, on the back of the door frame
Using a nut riveting gun.
Does a good job as anchor point for a rachet strap

I just happen to come across a little battery motion alarm at the back of the black hole (shed) it is supprisily loud for what it is .
So hopefully sorted .
Now where did I put my Rolex and spare wad ?

 

[Emmit]

I have a head start on many on making my van less attractive. It is a tidy 07 plate 6 metre van. Compared to shiny new bells and whistles vans I may already be a less obvious target!!

I already "go to bed" with my valuables and a dog bowl outside the door sounds like an excellent idea!

The Milenco lock also looks worth investigating. Anybody know if it is an easy replacement for the more usual Fiamma fitting?

From memory??? the Fiammi fixes to the van via the door jamb with two screws. It relies on the 'arm' crossing the door to prevent it being levered out of the way.
The Milenco requires three holes to be drilled through the bodywork adjacent to the door (AND a space of, say 2 1/2" inch from inside the door frame to allow room for the turn handle to operate. That is one of the holes to be drilled. The other two holes are for two bolts/slotted bolts to secure the kit to the wall.
In my case, I had to buy another bolt because our Pilote has thick walls. The long one provided fitted the shorter fix provided and I had to get an even longer one but it was no effort.
Here come the pics.

 

[Chris]

I am sorry this has happened - it’s horrible.

I have been burgled here in London 3 times but thankfully never when we have been at home.

It’s 4 times actually but the first time in North London I was so poor they didn’t steal anything.

I think there is good advice above about deterrents

 

[Phill D]

whilst it has all the bells and whistles, or in this case screaming sirens (thank you @eddie ) from Vanbits growler alarm, apart from warning stickers ,if that creaping tealeaf can read in the dark who's to know it's alarmed ,until it's waking up the whole of the surrounding area?

But the growler has warning flashing LEDs and at night the blue LEDs can be seen from a very long way off.

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[HarryML7]

Very sorry to hear of such an intrusion it must have been frightening when you discovered the loss.
If it’s the Decato type of cab pass the seat belt up through the door pull
And click it into the anchor point. This works with the seats turned or otherwise,
The door cannot be opened enough to gain entry.
Hope you can put it behind you and enjoy the rest of your holidays.

There is no way to pass the seat belt thru the armrest on the latest Ducatos.

 

[hja]

Where is the blue light referred to, please?

 

[jollyrodger]

But the growler has warning flashing LEDs and at night the blue LEDs can be seen from a very long way off.

Agreed but does the tealeaf know what to expect or think so what?

 

[Ernesto]

Agreed but does the tealeaf know what to expect or think so what?

They'll know enough to move onto the next one that doesn't have flashing LED's...what else could they be?

And it's a ton better than wrapping a virtually invisible, easily cut, dark grey seatbelt through the door handle ? Even if the cunningly placed seatbelt defeats them, you're left with a damaged drivers door

 

[R M]

We were in Carcassonne last week on a camping car aire and about 3.40 in the morning we were robbed, the thief must of been fully in our motor home to reach the table where our two phones and one laptop were, the laptop was hidden behind the back of the bench seat (the m/h is rear fixed bed) he also opened my wife’s bag and removed €500. We slept through the whole thing
(Neither of us drink so I can’t blame that) I could not believe how easy it was to pick the lock (driver’s door) just a slight dent on the key hole. My question is and it’s a bit of horse and stable door thing how good are the Fiamma door locks or should I make some sort of dead lock inside and beef up the habitation door lock or locks. I don’t want to use a ratchet strap between doors I was thinking more of a simple hook and eye and some proprietary locks for the habitation door. Sorry for the long winded post.

Sorry to hear that hope both are ok ?
Sad times indeed,
I got these for £9 eBay
Just a idea

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[Happy Jack]

I fitted Thatcham deadlocks on the front two doors, thieves don't even bother trying View attachment 1035272

The thing about internal locks is the thieves don't know they are there until they've defeated the lock and damaged the door.

Richard, woudnt think of locking the deadlocks while in the van....need escape routes if necessary.

 

[Brains]

Where is the blue light referred to, please?

It's on all motorhomes with a VanBitz Alarm.
Blue LED's front, side and rear, with a bright and dim setting

 

[Howard B]

We always set front door deadlocks when we park up. Also fit a pin to the hab door locks before we hit the sack which prevents that being opened from the outside.
Have a Strikeback alarm as well, which we set at night if needed.

 

[TheMobileWanderer]

Horrendous for the OP. A quick Google and I found this.

Bear in mind, it's from Google AI, therefore doesn't come with warranty but I post it in the hope it may help direct people to what they should know. Thats said: would I confront a burglar? Probably not, especially as I get older, and such action might increase risk to me further than just a burglary. Anyway, here it is.

• Under French law, specifically Article 122-5 of the Criminal Code, an individual is not criminally responsible for using force in self-defense if they are faced with an unjustified attack.
  
  
• Proportionality is Key:
  The force used must be proportionate to the threat posed by the burglar. For example, using a firearm to defend against a non-threatening burglar might be considered excessive and could lead to legal consequences.
  
  
• Immediate and Necessary:
  The self-defense must be immediate and necessary to prevent harm to yourself or others.
  
  
• Examples of Allowed Actions:
  This could include physical attacks, such as punches or kicks, or using objects as weapons to deter the burglar.
  
  
• What to Do After a Burglar:
  If you are confronted with a burglar, the first step is to call the police immediately at 17 or 112.
  
  
• Preventative measures:
  You can also take steps to make your home less attractive to burglars, such as installing an alarm, reinforcing doors and windows, and giving the impression someone is home.

 

[The Saints]

Firstly, it's really sad to hear about the OP's experience. Nobody wants that while staying in their MH, caravan or whatever. There are some great ideas above.

By far the best way to beat the thieves is to deter them from even approacing your van in the first place.

Dog bowls outside the door is a great example of this.

As mentioned earlier, by the time they've damaged to locks only to find they can't actually open the door because of strategically placed interior straps, you have an expense you can do without.

Lighting is probably the best way to stop them even thinking about trying the door. If you have other campers nearby, leave some outside lights on and even add some motion sensors as well. A well lit area is enough to put most off. The thought of being seen while lurking is the last thing they want.

My last van had a postcard size sticker by the door warning them the van was fitted with a tracking device.

I've no real experience of alarms, other than activating them before I leave the van. It's always been obvious from the outside that an alarm is fitted, so maybe that in itself has prevented unwanted attention.

There are no guarantees to prevent thefts, no matter what you do.

All you can do it lessen the risk.

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[hja]

It's on all motorhomes with a VanBitz Alarm.
Blue LED's front, side and rear, with a bright and dim setting

Thanks. Is that inside or outside? I am confused because any car alarm we have had the light was inside and if that was a Motorhome with blinds closed, no visibility from outside.

 

[lorger]

It's on all motorhomes with a VanBitz Alarm.
Blue LED's front, side and rear, with a bright and dim setting

Not trying to correct you but don’t want confusion, it’s only the Strikeback that has the blue led not the growler or the other way round. I know I don’t have it on mine and if hja has the same as mine they might get confused looking for a switch or something, willing to be corrected.

 

[PaulW2]

Thanks. Is that inside or outside? I am confused because any car alarm we have had the light was inside and if that was a Motorhome with blinds closed, no visibility from outside.

The Growler (and maybe the further iterations - Raptor?) has blue lights, the others have red. I'm sure both colours do the job. I have a preference for the blue.

In my PVC there is one LED in the middle of the front bumper, one on top of the dashboard (i.e. inside), and 2 in the rear bumper - one on each corner. It is very obvious that the van has an alarm system.

 

[Clewie68]

Is that the type of thing your thinking about?

We call them "motorhome alarms"

No, not really mate. I was thinking along the lines of a cheap alternative for the OP.

I've got my van booked in at Vanbitz for the Raptor alarm, imobilser and tracker. I know what it is.

 

[eddie]

No, not really mate. I was thinking along the lines of a cheap alternative for the OP.

I've got my van booked in at Vanbitz for the Raptor alarm, imobilser and tracker. I know what it is.

It was tongue in cheek

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[Brains]

Thanks. Is that inside or outside? I am confused because any car alarm we have had the light was inside and if that was a Motorhome with blinds closed, no visibility from outside.

Both.

Bright blue LED's Front, Back and Sides outside.
Plus one on top of the dash inside, which as you say, may or may not, be covered by blinds.

The blue LED's front and back are placed inside the vehicle lights, so they use the existing reflector to make the light even brighter.

No potential thief is going to miss the security light!

Now you know what you are looking for, start looking at motorhomes ideally at night.
If you go into the place where I store my motorhome in the dark, there is a sea of blue flashing lights.