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.

 

[DandJ]

It sounds to me you might have been done with knock out gas if both of you didn’t wake up this seems to be a on going problem in Europe, did ether one of you feel groggy the next day.
Glade you are both safe.

Mate of mine was done like that a few yrs back....Both woke with Headache to find there money gone on Day 1 of a fortnight trip to France.

I suspect this has been done to death on here.....as it has its own specific write up....

Motorhome Gas Attacks - Fact or Fiction?

We read horror stories in the press about motorhome gas attacks. Do they really happen or are such attacks mythical?

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[alex n]

I have read all the sh1t above just get a big dug

 

[Basildog]

That's fair comment. The one time my van was broken into it was in secure storage, back in 2011.

It had a Van Bitz alarm and the rest of the system (tracking, immobiliser) of that period. I was notified of the alarm going off in the dead of night and phoned the police.

As it was snowing at the time the police said they were sure it was just the snow. It wasn't - when I got there the next morning it had been broken into.

Would deadlocks have been a deterrent? Maybe - there were hundreds of vans in storage, and maybe they wouldn't have gone for a deadlocked one. But maybe they would still have - the items they took (a mattress, for instance!) - suggested they may have been looking for particular things specific to my type of van. And deadlocks may just have resulted in more damage. Just an extra few seconds with a crowbar for them and thousands more in damage for me...

They did £10k worth of damage to our Winnebago with a crowbar getting the door open
It was the alarm that made them run off , having had a caravan stolen and another one broken into 3 Motorhomes broken into and yes waking up to an intruder in the van , all most security devices do is fool the owners into a false sense of security .
The one thing I cannot believe is the idiots that add security devices that would slow their exit from the vehicle in the event of a fire, Motorhomes and caravans are specifically designed so one operation opens the exit doors
I might be in the minority but to me the van is a thing that does a job and is easily replaced with something else, no emotional attachment is required.

 

[Donnieliz]

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

The German lady told us in the morning , she didn’t know we were broken into.

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[Two on Tour]

The German lady told us in the morning , she didn’t know we were broken into.

So what was she screaming about then ?

 

[Donnieliz]

And know the German woman was screaming, I am not disbeleaving it happened but just one or two things haven't been explained very well.

I am not a. Clairvoyant obviously she told us in the morning. They were very helpful and nice people.

 

[Donnieliz]

So what was she screaming about then ?

She saw a hand reaching in the driver’s door

 

[Two on Tour]

She saw a hand reaching in the driver’s door

It must have been a pretty brazen and determined theif to continue breaking in with a lady screaming and an alarm blaring as well.

 

[Basildog]

It must have been a pretty brazen and determined theif to continue breaking in with a lady screaming and an alarm blaring as well.

Guy that broke into our van wasn’t worried at all that the alarm went off , he just stole my trousers and grabbed my eight year old daughter’s DVD bag as obviously thought it might have valuables in it .
They know you are sound asleep so will have slow reactions, they are pumped up and ready for anything.

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[SMB]

They did £10k worth of damage to our Winnebago with a crowbar getting the door open
It was the alarm that made them run off , having had a caravan stolen and another one broken into 3 Motorhomes broken into and yes waking up to an intruder in the van , all most security devices do is fool the owners into a false sense of security .
The one thing I cannot believe is the idiots that add security devices that would slow their exit from the vehicle in the event of a fire, Motorhomes and caravans are specifically designed so one operation opens the exit doors
I might be in the minority but to me the van is a thing that does a job and is easily replaced with something else, no emotional attachment is required.

I understand what you are saying and would agree to an extent regarding exiting a vehicle in an emergency. However, I have one of the paddle door locks on the hab door that open / lock from both the interior and exterior and is easily accessible. I have had additional deadlocks fitted to the cab doors for security when we are out of the van and also for peace of mind when asleep at night along with other security measures. Having a fixed rear bed the first exit point will normally be the hab door at night no matter what the emergency but especially if it was a fire though the rear windows would be more likely. If it was intruders then probably similar if looking to avoid confrontation.
I would disagree that motorhomes are specifically designed so one operation opens all the doors, mine doesn't and it's a 2021 coach build.
Having additional security doesn't lull you into a false sense of security, it can act as a deterrent when visible and help prevent intruders when visibility doesn't matter. I don't think people are idiots for wanting to feel safer in their vehicle the same as in a house. A van is easily replaced, personal safety is not as easy to guarantee.

 

[EmnM]

Just get yourself a strap and loop it round the door handles and horn. If anyone gets in then the horn blows. We also wrap a steel chain round for added security. The hab door has a simple piece of wood fitted inside the mechanism which prevents movement. It’s a Compass 400 but most doors have similar mechanisms.Easily removed from the inside yet impossible to open the door from the outside. An attempt to rob us happened at Sete aire and we thought it was joyriders.

 

[Tomaz]

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.

Very sorry to hear of your dreadful experience but pleased you are both safe.
I am just watching Video on You tube - Wiltshire Custom Camper going through full installation of Door Shields , his Campervan was not broken into because of his other security measures but this is his new addition as he had the same experience with hole being drilled for screwdriver to be inserted to lift door latch.
You might find the video informative and security system should cover that hole.

Take care

 

[Telrose]

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.

I hope your all ok that is scary we have a pvc with dead locks on all doors hopefully keep the tw…ts out

 

[ToGoldlyBo]

When we bought our van it had no alarm system installed (strike back/growler installed soon after). While I was researching alarms, I came across these and thought they would be a temporary solution. They are motion sensors with a surprisingly loud built in siren. I stuck one on each window and duly switched them on whenever I left the van. Turns out they are very sensitive and very effective. Not only do they warn about possible intruders trying to open the window, they also tell you when an hgv drives past your parked MH. Needless to say, they haven't been switched on very much, but I have left them as another visual deterrent, and it looks like our windows are also alarmed! And there MIGHT be a Doberman inside!!!

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[akadingbat]

Look at Van Guardian, absolutely amazing and so easy to install, gives zonal protection and is a visible deterrent too.

Home - VanGuardian

We Offer Services In London, Scotland,Northern Ireland & Wales.

vanguardian.co.uk

 

[corconx]

My sympathies to the OP.

Can I take a slightly different tack to security with a question. Are campsites generally more secure than aires? As a broad generalisation I would expect so?
Very few campsites if any will be maned with personnel overnight but a toilet block gives rise to the chance of motorhome owners visiting the facilities and secure boundary fencing etc, etc is more likely.
Campsites tend to be in slightly more remote locations. Many aires are fairly central to small communities where passing scroates may happen by!

I often leave my Ebike out overnight (locked and chained up of course) on a decent campsite. I doubt I ever have or would do that on a zero facilities aire.

Well I will burst your bubble. We were staying on a gated campsite inQuateira in Portugal. One morning our next door neighbour found his electric bike had been stolen from where he’d left in next to a tree - with a locked cable around it. The thrift had climbed over the high 8’ft wall - chopped down the tree - it had a trunk about 3/4 inches diameter and nipped out presumably thru the barrier -which allowed bikes!

It was a top site at the time at end of promenade. It can happen

 

[Smify]

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.

I wrap the seat belts around the door handles and plug them in- it’s then very difficult to open the cab doors from outside

 

[PaulW2]

They did £10k worth of damage to our Winnebago with a crowbar getting the door open
It was the alarm that made them run off , having had a caravan stolen and another one broken into 3 Motorhomes broken into and yes waking up to an intruder in the van , all most security devices do is fool the owners into a false sense of security .
The one thing I cannot believe is the idiots that add security devices that would slow their exit from the vehicle in the event of a fire, Motorhomes and caravans are specifically designed so one operation opens the exit doors
I might be in the minority but to me the van is a thing that does a job and is easily replaced with something else, no emotional attachment is required.

The chains (camper protect) that are being discussed may slow an exit down by say 2 or 3 seconds on a PVC sliding door. Rear doors no more than 2 seconds to pull a pin out I wouldn’t think.

Against that, as you pointed out, if someone breaks in ‘ready for anything’ and isn’t deterred by the noise, and you are groggy and no longer 25 years old, it’s an asymmetric situation.

So risk versus risk it seems, as is so often the case.

With the chains they just couldn’t get in in the same way, but the price is a few seconds longer to get out if the need arises.

Then there’s a question of incidence. How many (heaven forbid) have fires, and how many are broken into?

 

[SarahBattyll]

I’ve read all the posts with much interest as I don’t have alarms or even lock myself in at night!! I only ever stay in campsites in uk and always have a dog with me. As a solo female traveller I think I’ve been living in a false sense of security!!
I’m now slightly terrified
Thank you to everyone who have put up links to products - I’m off to research

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[acenip]

OK So a scumbag creeping around surreptitiously late at night doesn't want to get caught, which is why he is creeping around surreptitiously late at night, because if he didn't care, he'd be banging on the door demanding money possibly with a weapon.

So, late, looking for a potential target, completely randomly, just an easy target.

There are ten motorhomes in an Aire, nine appear to be unalarmed or the alarm isn't activated, one has high intensity LED's dotted about the motorhome, the eBikes on the back are locked, but there is, what appears to be a accessory protection security loop (like you see around the expensive stuff in Curry's) and there are multi lingual security warning stickers waring that the motorhome has a sophisticated security system installed, why would our thief, who is creeping around quietly choose to attempt to break into the one motorhome in ten that appears to be well protected, risking not only waking the occupants, but potentially the occupants of the other motorhomes, who may for example be friends and family, massively increasing the risk of a serious beating!

If you are broken into, logic dictates that you won't be done first, or even at all!

Don't forget in the wild you don't have to be able to out run a raging Grizzly Bear!

You just need to be able to outrun the slowest member in your party!

The bear analogy is a myth, apparently bears will keep hunting everyone in the party.

 

[animal]

We have in certain parking areas placed a large dog dish outside with water in although we don't have a dog, but just gives the idea there might be a dog inside.

That's exactly what we do a14" diameter dog bowl full of water although we do have two terriers as well !!

 

[A S R]

It wouldn’t have been possible if you had a Vanbitz Growler armed. You’d be much better off getting one of those fitted and using it!

 

[DandJ]

I’ve read all the posts with much interest as I don’t have alarms or even lock myself in at night!! I only ever stay in campsites in uk and always have a dog with me. As a solo female traveller I think I’ve been living in a false sense of security!!
I’m now slightly terrified
Thank you to everyone who have put up links to products - I’m off to research

Crimewatch end of show statement needed here....'don't worry...sleep well...etc etc'
You'd be better off locking the doors but for 99.99% of the time, you'll be fine...especially if your dog is very likely to bark

 

[Nick wright]

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.

Sounds like they gassed you

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[Nick wright]

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.

Vanga

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.

vanguardian

 

[Blaydon]

Hi folks. Much has been said in this chat and others. Things I reflect on:
If you put in big locks, they may just do big damage to get in
The best you can do is say ‘go somewhere else’ to the maggot who wants to break in, and you do that by shouting at them. LEDs say I’ve got an alarm. An alarm says ‘bugger off’ once it’s been activated.

We have a Vanbiz system and use it every night. The LEDs flash away from mid evening.
In the end, the alarm will sound, wake us up do we can run away - because if they really want it- they will take it and I’m too idle to fight about it.

 

[Jerrywh]

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

That would be the main door, wuoldn't it?

 

[goin roamin]

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.

Best thing I’ve done is a motorbike padlock and chain wrapped around the table leg and locked to the back of the door

 

[Jerrywh]

Condolences to the OP - horrible experience.

Re the products to secure your doors. Very interesting - I didn't know about them. I've had a look and added up the costs of the items I would need for my PVC. It comes to about € 170. Quite possibly cheap at the price etc, but still...

And if you have all the bits installed then they simply come through the plastic windows, don't they?

The serious question there is who is the raving lunatic who breaks in with the visibleM alarm on (Van Bitz Growler in my case), then continues to burgle or attack you when the banshee wail of the alarm is going on?

That is surely not a man who is going to be deterred. Certainly not by a mere plastic window or possibly even by a Hydra-Shok round.

Now before I go to get a quote for payload-limiting bullet proof windows I just need to consider whether this Terminator burglar really exists. Has anyone had any experience of him?

Not wanting to jinx anything but my van is 18 years old, never had a problem ...

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[Jerrywh]

The bear analogy is a myth, apparently bears will keep hunting everyone in the party.

Really not. Bears don't hunt people, they hide from them unless they feel threatened.
Hungry polar bears possibly excepted..