The soaring popularity of caravanning holidays has triggered a worrying surge in the number of RVs being stolen.
Without the option of overseas holidays, Australians are buying caravans, motorhomes and camper trailers in mind-boggling numbers. For example, Jayco says it has been taken ‘by surprise’ by a 35% increase in sales of new and used caravans.
And that means these vehicles are being targeted by thieves.
Already this year, vans have been taken from Melbourne suburbs of Mordialloc, Hampton, Parkdale and Black Rock. Ans that’s just in the Bayside areas.
Channel 7 says CCTV footage shows how just quickly caravans can be stolen, with one thief arriving at a Mordialloc home on foot and spending only minutes unhooking the campervan and driving away with it.
That caravan belonged to the Hopkins family who had only just taken it out of storage in preparation for a trip to South Australia.
“We got up in the morning, went out to walk the dog and it’s gone,” Katie Hopkins told 7News. “We’ve travelled around half of Australia in it. We spent six months living out of it … it’s got amazing memories for us and it’s something we worked really hard to get.”
And caravan dealerships are also being targeted.
In Somerset in Tasmania, thieves broke into Coastal Marine and stole a second-hand Jayco StarCraft caravan valued at $50,000.
Business principal Anthony Wolfe said the theft was ‘frustrating’ and would result in extra costs.
“Now we have to go through repairing fences, ramping up security and ongoing costs,” he said. “We are 10 metres from the highway and it was in the centre of the yard someone must have seen something.”
Jayco’s National Sales Manager, Scott Jones, said anyone considering buying a second- hand campervan or caravan should check the VIN number.
If it is found to be stolen, the buyer could risk losing the vehicle and the money paid for it. Mr Jones also recommends putting a padlock on the coupling of the vehicle or using wheel clamps.
I encourage all my friends to chain the wheels lock the hitch & remove the jockey wheel & put on a stand they can lower a jockey wheel but can’t lift the van and if pouring a slab to park the van on have a chain cemented into the slab
Take a wheel or two off if storing it for a while. Rotten thieves will look for eaiser van. Removing tow hitch too is a 1 minunte job. 4 bolts cordless rattle gun and it’s off. Makes it darn hard to steal