Posts Tagged ‘security’

More Caravan Security Tips

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Caravan Insurance is something you definitely should get if you own a caravan. A caravan is a valuable asset, and you could find yourself very out of pocket if you don’t insure it adequately. Caravan insurance provides protection if your caravan is stolen or damaged, however there are a number of ways you can stop this occurring.

It’s a sobering thought that there are in the region of three thousand caravans stolen in the United Kingdom each year, and with the increasing popularity of staying in the UK for a holiday and the resulting increase in caravan ownership and holidays, this figure can only be expected to go higher. Caravan owners should make sure they have the best security they can to deter thieves. Following is a list of 10 of the most effective ways to protect your caravan, taken as a whole they add up to a formidable deterrent.

  1. Security posts are an effective deterrent for people who park their caravan on the front drive of their home. These help stop thieves from taking the caravan from the drive, because they are concreted into the ground. Some posts come equipped with a towball on top that you hitch-lock the caravan to, and others can be either detachable or foldable to allow the caravan to move in and out of your driveway.
  2. Hitch locks are a useful device in providing some degree of protection against the opportunist thief. You should make sure it is manufactured of heavy steel that will cover the tow socket fixing bolts, and also has a very strong lock. Bear in mind that on their own though, they don’t offer an adequate level of protection for when the caravan is in storage.
  3. Wheel clamps are another option. Wheel clamps come in a range of qualities, but a useful rule of thumb is that by and large the easier they are to put on, then the easier they are for a thief to take off. So you need to make sure that you invest in a good clamp and also ensure that it is correct for your caravan. It is worth noting that some wheel clamps that are available on the market will allow a clever thief to take off both the wheel and the clamp in one go, so don’t get one of these.
  4. Another useful security measure is to etch either your caravan’s chassis number or your postal code on all of the caravan windows, and also several covert places inside the van. Instead you could just use a fibre-tipped pen on plywood inside a cupboard and under the beds, as this is almost impossible to remove. Even more ingeniously, you can instead use an ultra violet pen.
  5. Another useful deterrent is wheel stands. However, don’t underestimate the tenacity of a determined caravan thief, as this on their own won’t be likely to prevent them. You should ensure they are locked in place, and you should also check that your insurers are happy with you doing this, as some policies require wheel clamps to be used. You should also check your handbook, as many caravan manufacturers recommend that axle stands are used for winter storage.
  6. You should also take plenty of photos of your caravan, in particular any particularly defining features it may have. These photos can help you identify your caravan in the event that it is pinched.
  7. You could use some large stick-on characters or paint a number or code specific to you on the roof of your caravan. For instance you can use any number that is known only to you, or perhaps a parto f the caravan’s serial number. This may be extremely useful in the event that the caravan is pinched as it makes it easily identifiable from helicopters and light airplanes that the police use nowadays.
  8. There are a number of companies around that provide a service that entails embedding a microchip into your caravan. These microchips can then be identified using a scanner. Most vans made from 1998 will have datatags installed as standard. All previous CRiS (’Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme) registered vans can have retrospectively fitted datatags. Bear in mind that there is a bit of a flaw to these schemes though, in there exists no centralised network of scanners available to track down these stolen vans.
  9. Another choice is a tracking system scheme, which involves the installation of a transmitter which is hidden about the caravan. In the event of the caravan being pinched the transmitter will send out a signal to help the police to find the caravan. There have been a number of good results using this scheme. However there exist a couple of issues when it comes to caravans (rather than cars or motorcaravans), the first is that the transmitter needs battery power in order to send out a signal, and the second is that the transmitter is only activated once the caravan has been reported as stolen. These issues present a difficulty if your caravan is in long-term storage, and only visited infrequently.
  10. You should unquestionably make a note of the chassis number of your caravan, and if it is registered with CRiS, you should keep the registration documents in a safe location away from the caravan. Other important information should also be noted and stored in this secure location.

The greater number of these ideas you implement, the more likely it is that your caravan won’t get pinched at all, and also, should it get stolen, that it will be returned to you.

But also, of course, make sure you have the right caravan insurance for your touring caravan.

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Initiative to Improve Caravan Security

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

Those industrious folks down at Towergate Bakers are at it again, coming up with initiatives to push forward the uk caravan insurance market. Following on from their recent Green caravan insurance initiative comes another idea, providing the new Datatag caravan security system as part of their Select and Economy insurance polices on caravans worth over £10,000.

Datatag are Europe’s leading asset marking company, and have been providing asset protection within the Watercraft , Motorcycle and Construction industries for a number of years. They work with Police Authorities to try reduce crime and increase conviction rates. This has led to a big decrease in thefts wherever the Datatag system is used. Indeed they proudly boast that the Crown Prosecution Service have 100% success rate of prosecution in cases where Datatag evidence is used!

The system is the only system with the Thatcham seal of approval. Thatcham is a not-for-profit organisation that tests vehicle security systems and is very highly regarded in the market.

The Datatag systems consists of a number of elements:

  • Electronic transponders which have a unique identification code that can be read by a hand-held scanner used Police Forces in the UK.
  • Datadot microdots which enable you to mark all valuable items
  • DatatagDNA which is a unique forensic chemical DNA etching solution
  • ID labels that have unique ID numbers

These components add up to make your caravan ‘too-hot-to-handle’ for the professional thief.

The Marketing Director of Towergate Bakers, Paul Havenhand, enthused about the system calling it “a great piece of kit,” and hopes that this initiative will “reduce the number of stolen caravans, leading to lower premiums overall.” We do hope so Paul.

They are running this campaign in August, but hope to extend it, and will be running an advertising campaign to raise awareness of the device.

And the beauty of this is that the Datatag system will be saving you money on your caravan insurance in years to come, as it attracts a policy discount.

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Caravan Security Tips

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

It is a sobering thought that there are around three thousand caravans stolen annually in the United Kingdom. This number is likely to rise given the increasing popularity of caravanning and the ’staycation’ that the credit crunch has brought about. A caravan is a valuable asset and owners would be very wise to take as many security precautions as they reasonably can.

Of course even these don’t offer a foolproof guarantee that your caravan will not be stolen, so it is important to ensure that you have the right insurance policy to suit your needs, and here at www.caravan-insurance-online.co.uk we aim to provide you with the tools to find the right caravan insurance online.

Below is a list of a number of the best ways of both protecting your caravan from theft, and identifying it in the event of theft. I hope you find them of some use.

At the cheaper end of the scale, there are a number of low-cost measures you can implement:

  • Keep a record your caravan’s chassis number. Write it down somewhere and store it away somewhere in a safe place, along with any other relevant documents (for instance any ‘Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme’ (CRiS) registration documents).
  • Use either an ultra-violet pen or a permanent marker to mark a code unique to you inside the caravan. You could use either the chassis number or your postcode as this code. A particularly good place for this is any plywood that is hidden away (in a cupboard, or under the bed for instance), as it is nigh on impossible to remove pen from these surfaces.
  • Take some photographs of your caravan, as these can come in particularly handy in the event that you need to identify your caravan should it be stolen. Be sure especially to take photos of any defining features of the ‘van.
  • As police constabularies use helicopter and airplanes these days, a great way of helping to recover your caravan is to put a unique number on top of the caravan in large bold letters, enabling it to be spotted from high in the air. This can be achieved with a good old can of paint, or you could buy some large adhesive characters. Use either a part of your chassis number, or another number specific to you, again your post code is a suggestion.

Moving on to some more expensive options:

  • Having a microchip embedded into your caravan is one option. The microchip is then identified by using a scanner, proving the caravan is yours. Since 1998, most caravans have been fitted with a datatag, and for caravans older than that that are CRiS it is possible to have one retrospectively fitted. There is no centralised network of scanners for these tags though, which is something of a weak point of the system.
  • I mentioned earlier about writing a unique code inside your caravan using felt-tip pen. Even more effective that that is to have the code etched onto all the windows of the caravan. It is a good idea to also have the same etched in a few hidden away places inside the caravan too.
  • Tracking systems are another good way of protecting your caravan. A transmitter is secreted about the caravan, and if the caravan is stolen the system is activated, and it sends out a signal which can then be tracked enabling the caravan to be located. There is a drawback with these when used with caravans in that they only activate one the vehicle is reported stolen. But if the caravan is in storage, it may only be visited infrequently, and the chances are that the caravan will be long gone by that time.
  • If you keep your caravan on your drive at home, a good idea is to install a security post. These will help to stop anyone taking the caravan from your drive. They are cemented into the ground, and the caravan is hitch-locked to a towball on top of the post. They are either foldable or detachable to allow the caravan to be removed from the drive, and provide a good deterrent to thieves.
  • Hitch locks are a widely used and very useful device for providing protection against the opportunist thief. Ensure that it is manufactured from heavy steel to cover the tow socket fixing bolts, and also that it has a strong lock. This alone though does not provide sufficient protection for a caravan whilst it is in storage.
  • Wheel clamps are another popular form of security. But as with most things, there are good ones and there are bad ones. Common sense states that if they are easy to put on, then they are probably going to easy to remove. So you want to make certain that you have a good clamp, one that correctly fits your caravan. Something to note is that there are some on the market that allow a clever thief to remove the clamp along with the wheel, so be careful to avoid these.
  • Another option is wheel stands, these enable you to remove the wheels of the caravan thus rendering it (theoretically) immovable. You should check your insurance policy first though as some require that wheel clamps are fitted. You may also find that the caravan manufacturer recommends these for winter storage, check the handbook for this information.

Of course, the more of these you implement the greater the security you are providing for your caravan, but there is no excuse for not implementing at least the cheaper forms of security. And of course there is no substitute for a good insurance policy, so even if all of these measures fail you can rest assured that you will not end up out of pocket.

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Saving Money On Your Caravan Insurance: Tip 2

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

For the second of our tips on how to save money on caravan insurance we turn to the question of storage.

A good deal of caravan owners choose to store their vans on their drive at home. Whilst it is clearly the cheapest way of storing it, it is not necessarily the safest.

In terms of earning premium reductions on caravan insurance policies the best choice is to keep the caravan in a secure storage facility. And the good news is that there is even an association dedicated to this very thing. The Caravan Storage Site Owners’ Association (CaSSOA) were set up in 1999 to help ensure caravan owners were getting good security from storage providers. They evaluate sites on a number of different criteria and award them Gold, Silver, or Bronze Awards based on their security.

These awards are recognised by a number of the caravan insurance companies and attract premium discounts on their policies. These discounts can be up to 15%.

The association has over 550 sites nationwide, which between them store over 80,000 caravans. A figure which is constantly growing. To find a site near you, have a look on the association website at www.cassoa.co.uk.

For a more in depth discussion of secure caravan storage have a look here: secure caravan storage

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Caravan Insurance and Security Guidance From Safeguard

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

Caravan InsuranceOnline Caravan Insurers Safeguard are advising drivers to remain on their guard despite a notorious gang of caravan thieves being taken off of the streets. Reckoned to be responsible for nearly half of the UK’s caravan thefts, the gang was recently convicted for their crimes.

Owners should be cautious not only of the organised gangs however, but aware of the threat the opportunistic caravan thief presents.

Safeguard manager Rita Sadler spoke of how pleased the company are that this gang have been stopped but warned that caravan owners “still need to be wary of the risks and take appropriate measures to ensure the security of their property.

“Organised crime rings often target larger, luxury models on a ’stolen to order’ basis. We find that the vehicles are at their most vulnerable when left unattended and unsecured, for example in driveways whilst owners are loading their caravans and also at motorway service stations.”

Sadler also spoke of the increasing sophistication used by caravan thieves, warning that “Locks and alarms are no longer a security guarantee.” Caravanners themselves need to start using more sophisticated forms of protection, like “specially designed tracking devices and mechanical devices such as wheel clamps can greatly reduce the risk of theft. As well as deterring thieves, security conscious caravan owners are likely to receive discounts on their insurance premiums.”

Safeguard themselves make the following recommendations to help protect your caravan:

  • make sure you install an approved alarm and tracking device
  • if you put your caravan in storage, ensure it is at a secure site approved by the Caravan Storage Site Owners Association (CaSSOA)
  • if you keep it on your driveway, ensure you have a locking gate or drive post
  • Make sure no valuables are left where they can be seen in your caravan
  • preferably ensure your caravan has audible security
  • bear in mind that wheel clamps are the absolute minimum requirement for insurance, and should be fitted at all times when the caravan is unattended.
  • Lock down the rear corner steadies of touring caravans with a good quality hitchlock. This will help prevent the front of the unit from being lifted onto a vehicle and taken away

It of course goes without saying that you need a good caravan insurance policy. No amount of security can fully protect you from a determined thief, and in the event that your caravan should get stolen, you should be able to rest assured that you have suitable cover to ensure you won’t be left out of pocket.

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Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Here at caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk we keep bleating on about the importance of caravan insurance, as a means to protect yourself and your caravan. There are other things you can do though to help cover yourself. A very useful addition to the security toolkit is CRiS.

What is CRiS?

Cris is a scheme established in 1992 with the aim to improve security for caravan owners. Owned by the National Caravan Council (NCC), the acronym stands for the Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme, and provides a registration document, and a record identifying you as the current owner of your touring caravan. This can be very important in the event that your caravan is stolen.

Caravans are assigned a unique 17 digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), which is stored on the CRiS database. This has been done automatically for all caravans manufactured by NCC members since 1992, but is a service available to owners who fall outside of this.

The registration makes it straightforward for private buyers and dealers to help recognise stolen caravans, and those that have outstanding finance remaining on them.

So if you are buying a new caravan, the dealer will sort out the CRiS membership for you, and the registration documents for your touring caravan will arrive in the post a few weeks later. However, if you are in the market for a second-hand caravan the CRiS number is a great help in stopping you buying a dodgy caravan, as you will be able to identify if it is stolen, or has outstanding finance.

To be sure of the validity of the sale, you should look for the CRiS number etched into the windows of the caravan, and it should also be stamped somewhere onto the chassis of the vehicle. Also ask the seller to show you the registration document. If you are unable to see any of these then you should not buy the caravan.

Once you have found the number, you need to either phone HPI on 0845 300 8905, or visit their website at /www.hpicheck.com/hpi_check.html. They will charge you a small fee to check that the make and model match those on their records, and also whether there is any outstanding credit owed, or the caravan is stolen.

So, if you are not yet on the CRiS scheme, then you should be. And next time you are in the market for a caravan, remember to make use of the scheme.

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The Importance of Static Caravan Insurance and Security

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

static caravan insurance

Static Caravan Insurance and Security were highlighted in the press recently with a report about a series of thefts from 28 static caravans at Porthkerry Leisure Park near to Barry in South Wales. The thieves were targetting flat screen TV’s and managed to make off with a number of them in a van they had parked near. Officers have been appealing to locals to report anyone trying to offload any tellies.

An inherent risk of static caravans is that they can be left unattended for periods of time, making them an easy target for burglars. To protect themselves owners need to be thinking primarily of two different things:

  • Insurance: When purchasing static caravan insurance it is important to ensure that you have adequate coverage. For instance, in the case of the owners of the Barry caravans, they should have made sure that their flat screen TV’s were covered, as they were valuable items, and a particular favourite of burglars. If any of these owners didn’t have such coverage, and the TV’s are not recovered then they stand to be out of pocket, as they will either have to not replace their TV, or fork out themselves for it.
  • Security: This is the first line of defence for owners. Put simply, make your static caravan as hard to break into as you can. To achieve this there are a number of different measures you can take. Invest in some good window and door locks to help prevent the intruders gaining access in the first place. Also install an alarm, so if they do get in the noise of the alarm will cause them to flee. Even the option of a dummy alarm acting as a deterrent is better than nothing.

Static Caravan Insurance and Security do go together hand-in-hand. Indeed good security is an excellent way to help keep your insurance premiums down to a minimum, as you are reducing the risk to the insurance company.

It is advisable for owners to do some investigation to ways they can improve their static caravan security. These needn’t be expensive to be effective. Even things as simple as ensuring any items that may catch the eye of a burglar are stored elsewhere when not in use. Such things as soft furnishings, and of course electrical items are the kinds of things that thieves can easily remove and sell on later.

The key is to put some thought and investigation into it, as a little effort upfront can go a long way to saving a lot of hassle and money, and hopefully having to claim on your static caravan insurance policy.

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Secure Storage For Caravans

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Caravan security and insurance are two sides of the same coin. Security providing your first line of defence, Insurance your back-up. Here at caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk we are dedicated not only to helping to find the right caravan insurance for caravan owners, and helping them save money on that insurance, but also to helping owners improve their caravan safety and security so they are less likely to have to fall back on their insurance (and thus further save money).

Last year, crime statistics showed that over 5,000 caravans were stolen in the UK. The wealth of information available here at  caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk will show you a number of ways that you can reduce your chances of becoming one of these statistics. One of the ways you can do this is by your choice of storage.

If you are a touring caravan owner, then storage is an issue you have had to think about. Many owners store their caravans on the drive of their home, where they can be quite well protected from potential theft. This is the cheapest way to store a caravan, offering the distinct advantage that you can keep an eye on your caravan, and also carry out any required maintenance.

There are however disadvantages, in that having a caravan sat on your drive most of the year can offend neighbours and could even breach covenants on your property.  Also, when your caravan isn’t there burglars with local knowledge may be rubbing their hands together with glee.

Other owners tend to leave their caravans at sites, either permanently sited, or held in storage and bought out when required by the site owners.

The other option is to keep them in a secure storage facility. These can be either open-air or under-cover facilities. Open-air facilities are the cheaper option, but leaves your caravan exposed to the elements.

If you decide that secure storage is for you, the next question is how do you find and choose the right storage site? This is where the Caravan Storage Site Owners’ Association (CaSSOA) can come in useful. Set up in 1999 with the intention of combatting caravan theft, their take on security is that whilst the majority of people take the attitude that “if they want to get in they will,” they by contrast sum their ethos up as; “If you want to keep them out you can.”

The explicit aims of the Association as as follows:

  • To act as a nationally recognised body providing an official register of safe and secure storage sites.
  • To help site owners improve their security and services, to prevent caravan crime.
  • To provide a strong lobbying voice to influence the views of people who make a difference in caravanning.
  • To reassure caravan owner’s they can be confident that every CaSSOA site has taken reasonable measures to protect the stored caravans.

The association now have over 550 sites nationwide storing over 80,000 caravans between them, and are supported by 13 specialist caravan insurers, including those featured on www.caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk.

To achieve membership all sites undergo a risk survey. The risk is assessed by reference to what may be termed the canons of security:

  • Environmental vulnerability
  • Crime patterns or trends
  • Local economic and social conditions
  • General site design
  • Access

Based on the results of those surveys the Association ranks sites by giving them awards as follows:

  • Gold Award: These are the most secure sites, and offer a very high standards of security. All other risks to the stored caravans have been addressed, and wherever possible eliminated.
  • Silver Award: These sites also offer a high level of security.
  • Bronze Award: These sites also offer a good level of security. This is termed as the entry level for sites wanting to become members of the association.

The good news is that caravan insurance companies often offer discounts for secure storage. The insurers Safeguard offer up to 15% based on the CaSSOA grading of the site. But as I said earlier, even better is that as a result of putting your caravan into secure storage, you are less likely to need to claim on this insurance.

The associations’ website can be found at http://www.cassoa.co.uk, and provides search facility to locate a site where near you live or where you where you take your holidays. If you are thinking of secure storage their site is very much worth a visit.

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