- May 13, 2024
- 94
- 314
- Funster No
- 103,088
- MH
- Adria Matrix Axess
- Exp
- Caravan since 1983 - Motorhome since 1997
Just a few thoughts on the subject of “knock-out” gasses being involved in leisure vehicle break-ins.
I have always been highly sceptical of the theory that motorhome/caravan break-ins, (while the vehicle was occupied during the hours of darkness), have been accompanied by the use of some sort of knock-out, or narcotic gas.
Experts in the field have expressed professional opinions with regard to the expense involved, the quantities required, the type of gas available, the delivery methods, and much else.
Personally, I think that driving 500 klicks, having a large evening meal, accompanied by a bottle of heavy red wine, is an excellent precursor to a sound night’s sleep, and no sleeping medication of any sort will be required. In such circumstances, is it not possible that ne’er-do-wells might be able to access one’s vehicle, without disturbing the slumbers of tired, over-fed, over-indulged campers ?
On a recent return journey from the Cost Brava, we overnighted at a lovely site in the Auvergne. It is a site that we have used on several occasions, and for that reason I will not name it, as I suspect this incident was a one-of.
Although being no more than a few miles from the Autoroute, the site is quite remote, there being no nearby habitations of any description, apart from the Château.
Following a decent meal, and a goodly drop of ‘vino-plonko’, a good night’s sleep was had by all. The following morning, I aroused myself and exited the motorhome, only to miss the step, …… literally, it had disappeared, . . . . vanished, . . . . gone. This I thought very odd.
I had a quick look around, and spotted a group of Dutch, folk, muttering and mumbling together in a small group, and so I wandered over to see what was going on.
Several caravans and motorhomes had been broken into during the night and much plunder had been taken, including three electric bikes, a couple of expensive bicycles, several laptops, satnavs, iPods, iPads, Kindles, cameras, mobile phones, and of course cash . . . . . . . you name it, it was stolen. Interestingly, credit and debit cards were discarded along with the handbags and wallets which had contained them, and nobody mentioned losing a passport or other form of identity document, although this may have happened.
A veritable horde of valuable gear had been taken, much of it from inside the vehicles whilst the owners slept. To a man, all the victims were convinced that they had been the victims of some sort of knock-out gas.
Nobody heard, or saw, anything.
Two vans, who’s owners had dogs with them, were not burgled, but vans next to them were broken into, and the supposedly ‘very alert’ dogs in the adjacent vehicles were not disturbed.
The 4X4 towing the caravan on the pitch next to us had the rear window broken and some camera equipment taken. The window was broken using one of his awning poles. They also lost other valuable items from inside their caravan.
One British victim, travelling in a motorhome lost a lot of professional photographic equipment, and his laptop, not to mention the work contained thereon; it seems he was compiling some sort of travel dossier for a magazine, and now 6 weeks work had been lost.
All in all, a very good night’s haul for some ne’er-do-wells, possibly more than €25,000 !
Interestingly, as far as I could see, the method of entry to all the vehicles had been through side windows. Where windows were closed, a sharp blade had been used to slice the rubber seals along the base of the windows and a simple “coat hanger” device had then been used to flip the flimsy catches, and bingo the intruders were in !
Our steps had been used to aid a small person, probably a child (according to the local police) to gain access to a very small side window. We were given our steps back once the police had investigated the van in question. The police, who arrived quite promptly once summoned by the site manager/owner, were convinced that the thefts were carried out by a professional gang of Eastern European travellers, who had targeted the site, maybe after receiving information from one of the casual labourers who had been employed during recent, building work that had been, and still was, being carried out on the camp site.
I do not know why we were not selected by the burglars. Maybe because our Adria windows are very heavily smoked, and from outside it would have been difficult to see what was lying around ready to be stolen, which in our case was nothing, as my wife is quite fussy about leaving things in plain sight within the motorhome, regardless of the time of day or where we are parked.
More likely it would have been our drop-down bed which completely prevents access through the side windows, which helped the burglars decide to look for easier targets.
Do folk have to decide whether, or not, to fit some sort of gas alarm, or is this “Gassing” theory just a load of old cobblers ?
At least half a dozen vehicles broken into whilst the occupants were sleeping. Some had consumed no alcohol the previous evening, nor had they travelled far during the previous day. All very strange ?
As an aside, the manager at another site at which we stopped, claimed that these gangs use children, not just because they are quite obviously small, but because if they are caught committing the offence, they will not be prosecuted, under French law, because of their age, and the parents will obviously plead ignorance of the child's activity ?
C'est la vie, n'est ce pas ?
I have always been highly sceptical of the theory that motorhome/caravan break-ins, (while the vehicle was occupied during the hours of darkness), have been accompanied by the use of some sort of knock-out, or narcotic gas.
Experts in the field have expressed professional opinions with regard to the expense involved, the quantities required, the type of gas available, the delivery methods, and much else.
Personally, I think that driving 500 klicks, having a large evening meal, accompanied by a bottle of heavy red wine, is an excellent precursor to a sound night’s sleep, and no sleeping medication of any sort will be required. In such circumstances, is it not possible that ne’er-do-wells might be able to access one’s vehicle, without disturbing the slumbers of tired, over-fed, over-indulged campers ?
On a recent return journey from the Cost Brava, we overnighted at a lovely site in the Auvergne. It is a site that we have used on several occasions, and for that reason I will not name it, as I suspect this incident was a one-of.
Although being no more than a few miles from the Autoroute, the site is quite remote, there being no nearby habitations of any description, apart from the Château.
Following a decent meal, and a goodly drop of ‘vino-plonko’, a good night’s sleep was had by all. The following morning, I aroused myself and exited the motorhome, only to miss the step, …… literally, it had disappeared, . . . . vanished, . . . . gone. This I thought very odd.
I had a quick look around, and spotted a group of Dutch, folk, muttering and mumbling together in a small group, and so I wandered over to see what was going on.
Several caravans and motorhomes had been broken into during the night and much plunder had been taken, including three electric bikes, a couple of expensive bicycles, several laptops, satnavs, iPods, iPads, Kindles, cameras, mobile phones, and of course cash . . . . . . . you name it, it was stolen. Interestingly, credit and debit cards were discarded along with the handbags and wallets which had contained them, and nobody mentioned losing a passport or other form of identity document, although this may have happened.
A veritable horde of valuable gear had been taken, much of it from inside the vehicles whilst the owners slept. To a man, all the victims were convinced that they had been the victims of some sort of knock-out gas.
Nobody heard, or saw, anything.
Two vans, who’s owners had dogs with them, were not burgled, but vans next to them were broken into, and the supposedly ‘very alert’ dogs in the adjacent vehicles were not disturbed.
The 4X4 towing the caravan on the pitch next to us had the rear window broken and some camera equipment taken. The window was broken using one of his awning poles. They also lost other valuable items from inside their caravan.
One British victim, travelling in a motorhome lost a lot of professional photographic equipment, and his laptop, not to mention the work contained thereon; it seems he was compiling some sort of travel dossier for a magazine, and now 6 weeks work had been lost.
All in all, a very good night’s haul for some ne’er-do-wells, possibly more than €25,000 !
Interestingly, as far as I could see, the method of entry to all the vehicles had been through side windows. Where windows were closed, a sharp blade had been used to slice the rubber seals along the base of the windows and a simple “coat hanger” device had then been used to flip the flimsy catches, and bingo the intruders were in !
Our steps had been used to aid a small person, probably a child (according to the local police) to gain access to a very small side window. We were given our steps back once the police had investigated the van in question. The police, who arrived quite promptly once summoned by the site manager/owner, were convinced that the thefts were carried out by a professional gang of Eastern European travellers, who had targeted the site, maybe after receiving information from one of the casual labourers who had been employed during recent, building work that had been, and still was, being carried out on the camp site.
I do not know why we were not selected by the burglars. Maybe because our Adria windows are very heavily smoked, and from outside it would have been difficult to see what was lying around ready to be stolen, which in our case was nothing, as my wife is quite fussy about leaving things in plain sight within the motorhome, regardless of the time of day or where we are parked.
More likely it would have been our drop-down bed which completely prevents access through the side windows, which helped the burglars decide to look for easier targets.
Do folk have to decide whether, or not, to fit some sort of gas alarm, or is this “Gassing” theory just a load of old cobblers ?
At least half a dozen vehicles broken into whilst the occupants were sleeping. Some had consumed no alcohol the previous evening, nor had they travelled far during the previous day. All very strange ?
As an aside, the manager at another site at which we stopped, claimed that these gangs use children, not just because they are quite obviously small, but because if they are caught committing the offence, they will not be prosecuted, under French law, because of their age, and the parents will obviously plead ignorance of the child's activity ?
C'est la vie, n'est ce pas ?
Alarms won’t work unless the windows are sensored as the interior motion detectors are off at night with just doors protected. I have read posts about window entry before but not while sleeping, our hymer has the push button type, I definitely think your brain lets noises and motions go when camping plus the fresh air aspect, we have a dog and she’s lets more noise go when we’re away too but hope she’d know if a scrote had their head through the window and well before hopefully, I always sleep with the keys, a very bright torch for temporary blinding, a hammer and a can of easy start and obviously the dog, the wife wears ear plugs home and away ( not for my snoring ) and loves red wine 
this story however screams inside job to me 
