Motorhome crime: protect your property

MOTORHOME theft and crime may not seem like a big issue, until you become a victim of such an offence.

It’s not just motorhomes that are being stolen; it also just as likely, if not more so, that you will have something stolen from your vehicle while on holiday.

Motorhome crime grows

Hampshire Constabulary realised they had a potential problem on their hands last year when the number of motorhomes broken into between January and August tripled.

We’re not talking huge numbers, but the police force and powers that be felt it significant enough to warrant closer inspection.

They took the unusual step of advertising that theft of personal items from a motorhome is classified as burglary. Even though a motorhome is a vehicle, it is also a person’s home, if somewhat temporarily, so the crime is classed as a burglary.

This means that anyone caught faces the prospect of harsher punishment and much longer sentences than if it was just theft from a motor vehicle.

The next step was to set up a decoy operation.

The constabulary borrowed a motorhome from Port Solent-based dealer Hampshire Motorhomes and put it under surveillance whilst parked in the county.

There were no ‘hits’ but the operation identified two people of interest that the police force then focussed on. One of these was actually arrested for breaking into another motorhome a short while later.

At the same time the distribution of leaflets highlighting the precautions that need to be taken to reduce the risk was undertaken in the area.

These hints and tips should be taken on board wherever you park your motorhome, whether that is for extended periods on the driveway, brief moments at shops, or while on holiday.

•    Don’t leave anything in sight - especially mobile phones, laptops, credit and debit cards, chequebooks, cash or private mail with your address on it.

•    Think about marking all your goods in the motorhome – it helps the police to identify and return any recovered.

•    Make your motorhome secure: have an alarm fitted and always use it, even for a brief time. Also, close any windows, doors and rooflights.

Losing a vehicle

This is just one of the constabularies nationwide recognising the serious nature of motorhome crime.

But Lancashire Constabulary is at the forefront after it highlighted the major issue of ringed motorhomes to our attention.

It is widely accepted that there are around 600 stolen motorhomes in circulation, although many more than that are stolen and shipped abroad.

It seems this problem hasn’t gone away, although more organisations and motorcaravanners are now aware and less likely to fall into the trap of buying a stolen motorhome.

But there remains an ever-present risk of buying a stolen motorhome if you don’t do all the necessary checks or listen to that little voice telling you when something isn’t right.

Getting through it

All the care in the world didn’t help one young couple, the Squibbs. They bought their motorhome from a reputable dealer, organised finance and did all the checks.

Their motorhome, which they thought to be a 1993 Swift Kon-Tiki 650, passed everything with flying colours, and they took delivery.

Fast forward two years, and after many happy family holidays, the Squibbs were shocked by a phone call from the police informing them that they were not the legal owners of their beloved motorhome and it was in fact stolen.

Just two days later the couple had to empty all their possessions and take the motorhome to the local police station, returning home without their pride and joy.

The Squibbs were disappointed by the lack of information they received but were thankful for the advice from their own insurer Safeguard, as well as Saga who turned out to be the rightful owners of the vehicle.

They are especially grateful to PC Astley from their local police force, without whose help they would not have got their Kon-Tiki back.

And yes, the couple managed to buy back their Kon-Tiki from the insurance company and reclaim the already paid finance payments. 

They discovered that the Kon-Tiki was actually a year older then initially thought, correctly identified as a 1992 model by the police.

So all’s well that ends well. But as you can see, the normal checks don’t always work and you may not be quite so fortunate.
 

The Squibbs' cautionary tale

A few precautions

New motorhomes – later than 2001 – should each have a unique Motorhome Identification Number (MIN), a 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and a Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM).

Safeguard, which has been helping the Lancashire Stolen Vehicles Unit to track down these motorhomes, would always recommend running all these numbers through MINDER, a HPI service run in association with the UK motorhome industry (see the panel on the right).

This specialist division of the Swinton Group, has now also teamed up with a national police organisation (AVCIS) to tackle motorhome theft. 

AVCIS, which stands for ACPO Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service aims to reduce motorhome theft through partnerships with manufacturers, trade bodies and insurance companies.

Detective Inspector Paul Lambotte, operations manager at AVCIS, has the following advice for potential buyers of motorhomes.

•    Take care to ensure the vehicle is what it says it is. Check the VIN, MIN and tax discs.

•    Do not hand over cash in car parks or service stations, and always check that the person selling you the vehicle has a permanent and legitimate address.

•    Have the vehicle examined before purchase.

•    Ask to see supporting documentation, such as repair receipts and service records.

•    Never take anything on face value – listen to your inner sensible voice if it seems to cheap.

Check the documentation

Industry creates MINDER

Theft and fraud in the motorhome market has become an increasing problem.

To combat this problem the UK Motorhome Industry and HPI joined forces to create MINDER, a vehicle security and asset registration system to help protect against theft and fraud. It’s only available to trade customers and dealers, though.

Since 2001, all new manufactured motorhomes have carried a 17 digit MIN number on the residential body, along with the 17 digit VIN on the vehicle chassis, plus an electronic tag hidden in the bodywork holding the MIN number.

Alan Bishop, industry relations director at HPI says: ‘The Lancashire police ran operation Nettle, which HPI were involved in. We helped to identify over 600 motorhomes that were potentially ringers. Of the 120 seized, all were built before MINDER was introduced.’

Therefore, as a rule of thumb, make sure you do your homework on all motorhomes, but especially those made before 2001. If you are buying a post-2001 motorhome, ask your dealer to do a HPI MINDER check.

Alan advises: ‘If you are buying privately, take a friend with no emotional involvement in your hobby. Don’t buy from a pub or any car park and make sure you visit the owner’s home address.’

Alan adds a tantalising footnote: ‘We at HPI are constantly working with the motorhome industry and police to reduce the risk of buying a stolen motorhome.’

* This article appears in the December 2007 edition of Motorcaravan Motorhome Monthly. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.

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