folow up re Theft in Broken Hill caravan park
Submitted: Monday, Apr 07, 2014 at 12:56
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allein m
Ok things are getting serious and be warned if you come here lock every thing up
The theif has hit 3 more times twice in the man caravan park on
Adelaide road and the other caravan park of the
Sydney road , that is 3 reported I wonder how many others unreported
Police are looking into it but are asking visitors and locals to keep a eye open
on my last post we looked at this as a once off but it is not and we have a rotton egg in our mist.
stay safe now would be a good time to visit we have had some good rains over the past weeks so thing will green up and some nice flower coming up but that will not last too long
Reply By: doug v - Monday, Apr 07, 2014 at 18:42
Monday, Apr 07, 2014 at 18:42
not so rm we were in glen innes c/p early march and I had my wallet stolen in 30secs fro m the table in van and within sight of the van . know who did it , twas a smart alec
grey nomad parked right behind our van who upped and left next morning when we were turning van and car out looking for it ,got his rego, notified the boys in blue in GI ,
Tenterfield and Armadale, but its gone,the hassle of renewing licensce and all other cards took time and money . so be ALERT AND LOCK UP EVEN LEAVING THE VAN FROM your ARM REACH sure left a BIG dampener on our holiday.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: disco driver - Monday, Apr 07, 2014 at 20:03
Monday, Apr 07, 2014 at 20:03
Did you actually see the "smart alec
grey nomad"(your words) take your wallet?
Or are you assuming that because he was a "smart Alec" and he "upped and left next morning" that he automatically did it.
He may
well have planned to move on the next morning anyway.
Your warning to be alert and lock when leaving your van is
well worth noting
Disco.
FollowupID:
812890
Reply By: Nomadic Navara - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 00:49
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 00:49
It has been on for years at
Broken Hill and other like towns. They know that people in a deep sleep (for the first couple of hours after retiring) will not wake easily when they enter vans. The low life sneak around the parks in the shadows waiting for the occupants to go over to
the block. They slip in and grab anything handy.
Had this happen to the people next door around 2230 - 2300 one night. I was in my van on the computer. Next thing I saw the outside light go on and a woman looking around in the pine chip mulch. Turned out she had gone to
the block to clean her teeth and wash ready for bed. She did not lock the door. Her husband was in the van asleep. They got her wallet from off the dining table.
Do not leave valuables exposed in your van. Lock the door when you are not in the van or under the awning or are resting. They don't break into vans, there are too many easy pickings to worry about braking in.
Have had similar things happen a couple of times in Mt Isa. I was sitting up late on the computer the first time it happened. Everyone around us was burgled, I must have been up too late to bother waiting for me to retire or we would have been attacked as
well. It was reported that the same was happening in
Mildura a few weeks ago (reported in CF.) We carefully lock in Moree and Nth
Bourke too.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 06:45
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 06:45
I am sorry people but this is amazing me.
Not the thieft, no! But the idea that just because you are in a caravan park or camping that you are not vulnerable. How long have you known the "neighbour"? Just a matter of "hours". Yet you trust them!
For years we have been locking our doors at
home when not in the house and have always kept things out of sight. Exactly as in the car. Another reason not to have a GPS stuck to the windscreen or a phone sitting on the table.
Why do it? Hide it and lock it. Nothing new.
I sympathise with those who have had stuff stolen. But it's not new.
Phil
AnswerID:
530088
Follow Up By: allein m - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 09:49
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 09:49
yes I agree with you but the main reason for my post is to say that we have got a problem in town with some one who likes other peoples property.
I am not sure what happens when you book into a caravan park I know they have signs but is a the local parks saying to new visitors to be careful we have a theft problem
I am not sure but i am just letting people know who just might be coming this way to be careful.
we do tend to turn the radar off when on holiday and speak to complete strangers and some time s not take proper care as we really should have .
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Follow Up By: Member - Noldi (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 10:15
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 10:15
All sounds a bit sad, please don't send these people to WA. I never lock my doors. BTW he's 65 kg now
Dog
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Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 10:32
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 10:32
And when you go for a walk do you lock the doors or let the dog roam around the front also.
I am afraid all the dog is good for is barking and hopefully some neighbour will look over the fence. Which they don't. You would be in a lot of trouble if the dog bit anyone and in that case the dog is most likely to be put down.
We thought about it but as realists we didn't bother. Sorry to disagree with you Nola.
Phil
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Follow Up By: Member - Noldi (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 10:44
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 10:44
No drama Phil, each to their own, I don't know about realist though, as I say we don't lock our doors, to me thats real.
Intersting though, our honey moon was camping from SA back to
Melbourne (7 days) so we've been camping for 34 years in November, in all states except Tassie. Never had anything pinched in all that time (touching wood). In fact I don't recal actually meeting anyone face to face that has.
In saying that, there are a few
places where we moved on due to an uneasy feeling
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Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 11:07
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 11:07
We first started camping in 1964 and neither have we had anything stolen from the "campsite". But we have always locked the place up. As far as the house is concerned it has been locked ever since we moved to the city. And still is with us in the in-between area between city and country.
We did get burgled once. Simply smashed a side window and ignored the screaming alarm as
well. We got off quite
well actually with things hidden. They weren't interested in the old CRT analogue TV that we still use and will until it blows up. Not a back yard window either.
But luckily everything was out of sight and hidden from view. And when you design and built your own
home it is amazing how easy it is to have a "hidden" spot.
Catchya
Phil
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Follow Up By: Member - Noldi (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 11:14
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 11:14
Thats good to hear Phil, while I have no doubt scum bags do rob others, I sometimes wonder if sometimes gets blown out of proportion (no relection on this thread that is just providing a warning).
I lived in Darwing for 3 years, lost count of the times we left the car keys in the car overnight and would be running around looking for them. Mind you that could be a reflection of the clapped out old cars we would drive :-)
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Follow Up By: Member - Fab72 (Paradise SA) - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 14:05
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 14:05
Australian made theft deterent can be seen in my profile
pic. No warning barks (she doesn't bark), but her stealth skills will out play the most seasoned of crims.
Fab (and Dina).
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Reply By: Member - John and Lynne - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 10:01
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 10:01
Caravan Parks are just like an "All You Can Eat for Free" smorgasbord for opportunistic thieves. They just have to wander through and there will be fishing gear, BBQs, fridges, handbags and wallets lying around in easy view. Just reach in through a window or duck under the awning and then disappear into the crowd. And yes, sometimes these lowlifes are travellers too! The thieves have plenty of time to
check out the sites while everyone is relaxing in holiday mood!
How hard is it to put stuff away? How hard is it to carry a van door key (not the whole bunch!) around your neck or on your belt so it is easy to lock the van when you leave it? If you both do this your partner won't find herself locked out while you wander off! After we were burgled at
home we developed the habit of never putting wallets, car keys etc down on the table or in the bedside drawer. Now we automatically put such things away even if only for a short time. It is easy to do and can save a lot of grief. Thieves just want to be quickly in and out and won't generally hang around for too long hunting for stuff. Our tables and chairs are fairly shabby so no one has ever bothered with them but the Baby Q is locked in the vehicle or in the van boot when not in use! Lynne
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: doug v - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 18:40
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 at 18:40
yes we have always locked up except this once, ours is a rear entry van. misses was looking in the wallet for gold coins to do the washing and left it on the table which is near the door. I was reading outside the door while she went off to do the washing at the amenities block 50 yds up ahead of the van . old mate saw her leave ,I saw him watching her leave. after 1/2 hr saw her coming back so I decided to meet her 1/2 way as I had an urgent call of nature, nodded to old mate as I left rear of van (he was about 5 large paces away) {timed and stepped it all next day after the loss}. missis could see front of van but not rear as she and i approached each other , saw there was no one else around, exceptknew old mate at the rear but outofsight . we saw no one else moving about near our van at that time, missis made it back in 30 secs, thought I had placed wallet in secure spot,later on return I trhought she had secured it , not until next morning did we realize, that it was missing, he watched us searching and he packed up and left. park owner said he was o/niter. got his rego and reported it but only after checking van park yard, and over the security fence and neighbouring yards, and park rubbish skip inside out . water under the
bridge now, the point of my original reply was to alert others that there is an odd bad egg among us travelers not a bleep match.
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Follow Up By: KevinE - Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 at 06:49
Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 at 06:49
Hi Doug,
I worked in a large surveillance operation for 10 years reviewing more video and writing countless log entries & incident reports than I care to remember, mostly re larceny incidents (theft to you & me). I can categorically state that the offender/s is very seldom who it is initially thought to be.
Some thieving, opportunistic scumbag will almost always suddenly appear from nowhere between the last time you saw your goods & when you observed them missing & take them.
I know it can be hard to get your head around it probably not being who you thought it was, but I've seen it many, many times.
Food for thought! ;)
PS: a good
sign is someone continually looking around them nervously. IMO they're nearly always up to no good!
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Follow Up By: Member - John and Lynne - Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 at 09:49
Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 at 09:49
Certainly not wanting to start a pissing match and sorry if we gave that impression. However the fact is that the ONE and ONLY time you leave something in view is the time you get robbed! We know! It happened to us at
home! That is why we suggest the only real defence is to develop a habit of automatically putting wallets etc
well out of sight and automatically locking the door when you leave the van. You never know when or where or who these creeps might be! It only takes them a minute to reach in and grab! Lynne
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