I got a call the other day from Tim Booth, the UK’s expert on caravan security matters.
He’s a big fan on keeping caravans safe as you’d expect but he detailed an interesting case recently, regarding a caravan stolen in the North East.
The tourer in question was fitted with a tracking system, and as is normal with these systems, when triggered, the tracking company get in touch with owners to verify that it is not false alarm before responding. And here in lies the problem.
Tim says it is essential that caravanners have a back-up plan should they not be immediately contactable. Most companies allow for at least three nominated points of contact so even if you are on holiday, at the cinema, in the bath – whatever – there is no excuse for a friend or relative not being contactable.
Tim says that he recently had an example of why this is so important. A tracking company tried to contact a caravan owner for four hours without success. By the time contact was made, the owner confirmed their caravan was missing but the track had been lost. The owner was upset with the tracking company but they are not allowed to raise the alarm without confirming a crime has taken place.
So the lesson here? If you have a tracker, don’t rely on one person as the point of contact. A neighbour or person near your storage yard is ideal. Check your details are up to date too to minimise problems. Your caravan could depend on it.