The theft of caravans, trailers, boats, and all manner of other vehicles continues to be a serious problem, but there are various technologies now available which can help owners reduce their risk of losing their pride and joy.
While alarms, locks, chains, and cameras can all play a huge role in deterring would-be thieves, trackers can help the authorities retrieve the missing goods when the worst does happen.
A good example of this is an incident which happened in South Australia overnight. Four people were arrested following the theft of a trailer from Angle Vale, north of Adelaide.
Police say the occupant of a home was awoken about 3.45am today by the sounds of his trailer being stolen from outside his house.
Police were able to return the stolen trailer to the owner. PIC: Aitoff / Pixabay
The man alerted police and checked the inbuilt tracking on the stolen trailer. He then jumped into his own vehicle and went out to look for it.
Police say the owner located and followed his stolen trailer at a discreet distance through the backstreets of Munno Para, while providing updates to police.
The trailer was being towed by a grey Volkswagen Amarok, which was tracked to Oakwood Circuit at Munno Para West and police cars moved in to surround the vehicles.
Police say it will be alleged the driver of the Amarok attempted to reverse away from police at the intersection of Oakwood Circuit and Fradd East Road but hit a light pole and scraped a police car. There were no injuries.
All four occupants attempted to run from the Amarok but were swiftly arrested.
The alleged driver, a 35-year-old woman, and her three male passengers, all in their 30s, were all charged with theft.
The driver was also charged with driving without due care.
The stolen trailer was recovered and returned to the victim.
Police checks revealed the Amarok was displaying unassigned plates and it was towed away for forensic examination.
While this van theft story may well have a happy ending for the owner, as mentioned earlier, most do not.
And beyond those bald statistics about the number of RV thefts, or police crime reports, each and every one of these incidents can have a devastating effect on the lives of real people seeking to live their dreams.
A few years ago, solo grey nomad Rhonda Scholz had her Big Lap derailed when her 22’ Aussie Wide Waratah caravan was stolen near Ipswich in Queensland.
She was housesitting at the time and the van was parked in the front yard of the property and had a tow ball lock. Rhonda believes she was targeted by thieves who knew exactly what they were doing.
Speaking a year after the theft of her van and all of her possessions inside it, Rhonda said the incident had been a ‘kick in the guts’.
“I lost everything when the van was stolen except for a very few clothes, my handbag and laptop,” she said. “I was covered by insurance for the van but the contents were way, way underinsured … I lost all my jewellery, which was substantial, plus jewellery from my mother and other items which belonged to my father, plus many other personal items.
Rhonda had to spend a lot of money buying new clothes and was also given household items by friends.
“The theft shook me for many months and it still hurts but I have had to make myself move on,” she said.
After eventually buying a new van, Rhonda said security was much higher on her priority list.
“My new van now has an improved tow ball lock with an alarm, two wheel clamps, and a GPS, so hopefully it doesn’t happen again,” she said.
With the money involved in purchasing a caravan or motorhome, grey nomads are increasingly aware of the need to protect their investment. Travellers like Ralph Westley say it’s only commonsense to use technology when, like him, you buy a brand new caravan.
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I have a wheel lock which also covers the wheel nuts.