Service station robbery - not an urban myth

[Deleted member 3011]

posting abject apology ! but whats with the "sic"comment?what is that for?

I think it is when people are so clever that they can pick someone's bad spelling and when they quote it, they don't want anyone to think they are so dense that they didn't notice.

Not sure why it matters exactly where something happened as especially in this case the difference between being in Belgium and France is just a couple of eye-blinks.

 

[Luckheart]

This is a very good device for the money, it reacts to propane, butane, hair spray, deodorant, and many other things, so if using the said things you have to keep away from it as it will go of.


:drive: :drive:

Did you have one onboard when you had your problem?

 

[Covey]

I "tested" my noxious gas alarm using a pre injection swap which is a piece of tissue soaked with isopropyl Alcohol and it took 6 seconds to sound the alarm when I opened the foil packet and dropped the swab on the floor about 18 inches from the unit.

I am sure this is not a very scientific test, but the unit picked up the alcohol vapour and that triggered the alarm. The English instruction booklet states the unit is designed to detect "ether type vapour" as one of its target list.

I would also assume that any anaesthetic type gas would have to be lighter than air otherwise it would sit in the lungs, so the gas would tend to rise. LPG is heavier than air so it falls which is why we should all have a big hole in the base of our gas compartments. Anaesthetic gas needs to be of a certain concentration to put one to sleep, yet in my Hymer, the two double beds are of differing heights from the floor, therefore the two occupants will receive differing doses. Having my very large roof light in the 1st vent position would allow lighter than air gas to escape so you would have to pump in more.

Having put everybody to sleep, the thieves would have to open the doors and windows to vent the gas otherwise they get knocked out. Wearing a respirator (gas mask) would not work as the gas is a gas and not airborne droplets (like teargas) so your thieves would have to wear scuba air tanks.

All the police on the continent have to do is watch out for a Citroen 2CV with scuba tanks in the back and Job Done!!!

 

[maingate]

Ahh, those, I didn't realise they were supposed to reduce car sickness. I had bought one, which was rubber with fine steel wires inside to prevent myself from getting a shock from the static charge when exiting the vehicle - for that it worked extremely well.

They were used for anti static purposes due to the upholstery being made from a man made material, I don't remember them being used for car sickness. The best cure for that was to sit on a sheet of newspaper. It seems crazy but it works. :wave:

As has been said, the purpose made ones often wore away quickly until they did not reach the ground. I got round this by just fitting a length of thin wire fixed to the chassis instead. It was so lightweight that it was lifted off the ground when moving (even very slowly) and therefore lasted a long time.

 

[dave and mary]

Did you have one onboard when you had your problem?

unfortunately not, in those days I did not think that night robbery's were something that happened. In our previous van the person who owned it before us had fitted one, but I never put it on. So easy to be wise after the event.


:drive: :drive:

 

[Deleted member 12539]

I have been following this thread with interest, and if nothing else, it has raised my awareness about motor-home security whilst my family are sleeping.
This weekend we tested our Cobra alarm system, which allows all doors that are fitted with sensors, to be armed, without the internal movement sensors activated, and it works!
Not used it before, but think it wise that it should be in future!
Off to the continent soon, and don't want anything to spoil our holiday. :banana:

 

[n brown]

I have been following this thread with interest, and if nothing else, it has raised my awareness about motor-home security whilst my family are sleeping.
This weekend we tested our Cobra alarm system, which allows all doors that are fitted with sensors, to be armed, without the internal movement sensors activated, and it works!
Not used it before, but think it wise that it should be in future!
Off to the continent soon, and don't want anything to spoil our holiday. :banana:

have a gas!

 

[fletch]

I've been following this thread also, the original poster reported his experience in good faith, even accepting a bit of naivety in carrying that much money aboard. But for whatever reason they didn't awake their experience has further raised awareness of security issues on the continent & may just prompt another forum member who's been thinking about upgrading security/locks etc to do it thus possibly detering a future break in to their van.

Whilst recognising that the majority of replies are positive, in my opinion they've shown restraint in their replies to a minority of pathetic responses, I personally wouldn't have been so polite. It'll make me think twice about sharing any experiences on here which I'd like to think may help other people.

 

[SafariMul]

Gassing myth

Without trawling through dozens of pages and the ping-pong of I'm right no - you're wrong ad infinitum descending into personal abuse and keyboard warrior righteousness, I trust this hasn't been mentioned yet ... ?

From elsewhere ....




"Since this debate rattles on from time to time, with much deliberation over how and what, I thought I'd try to get an expert view on the feasibility of using narcotic gases to knock out the occupants of motorhomes/caravans.

Since they do this all the time, so to speak, I thought I'd ask the Royal College of Anaesthetists. Somewhat to my surprise, they provided the following reply. Interesting isn't it? Sleep tight folks!

Dear Mr XXXXX,

Thank you for your enquiry. I would like to inform you that you are not the first enquirer with this question. Professor Hatch, our Clinical Advisor, has given the following previous comments:

"I can give you a categorical assurance that it would not be possible to render someone unconscious with ether without their knowledge, even if they were sleeping at the time. Ether is an extremely pungent agent and a relatively weak anaesthetic by modern standards and has a very irritant affect of the air passages, causing coughing and sometimes vomiting. It takes some time to reach unconsciousness, even if given by direct application to the face on a rag, and the concentration needed by some sort of spray into a room would be enormous. The smell hangs around for days and would be obvious to anyone the next day.

There are much more powerful agents around now, some of which are almost odourless. However, these would be unlikely to be able to achieve the effect you describe, and the cost would be huge enough to deter any thief unless he was after the crown jewels. The only practicable agent is probably the one used by the Russians in the Moscow siege - I advised the BBC on their programme about this. The general feeling is that they used an agent which is not available outside the KGB!

Finally, unsupervised anaesthesia, which is what we are really talking about is very dangerous. In the Moscow siege about 20% of victims died from asphyxia, because their airways were unprotected. If the reports you talk about are true I would have expected a significant number of deaths or cases of serious brain damage to have been reported."

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Regards,

Ms Shirani Nadarajah
General Administrator

Professional Standards Directorate
The Royal College of Anaesthetists""

 

[666jw]

On the basis that the letter is genuine, I have now changed my opinion . :sad::drive:

 

[lebesset]

my best friend is a retired consultant from the regional hospital ; we went to dinner at his house one night and another guest was a former colleague of his ...an anaesthatist

you will not be surprised to learn that I raised this subject ...his response was that it would be easy for the pathologist to determine which gas was used when he carried out the postmortem

when I told him that there were no known cases of mortality he , in effect , quoted johnny mac ...you cannot be serious

 

[ricc]

thats your opinion , and whilst your entitled to hold it i have to disagree, im new to the wild camping thing and have found this thread very interesting. im now thinking about door security and the possibility of a built in safe box, neither of which id really considered before..

if you take your " further debate will not achieve any more than it has done in the past" to its logical conclusion all forums will die cos there will be nothing that anyone can post about that hasnt been discussed previously.

 

[Covey]

The thing I find extraordinary is the admission by one member that he has a full Thatcham Alarm system and recently tested it for the first time and IT WORKS!!! He goes on to say that he will use it in the future.

Another member says that they are thinking about door security and possibly having a small lock box installed.

I would have thought that the nature of this Forum would mean that members are constantly thinking about security of their van and personage because they are contemplating camping in the wild!!!

We are warned to leave the window covers off to allow for a quick getaway if our wild camping spot turns out to be wilder than we wanted yet some are only now testing alarm systems designed to protect the member and his/her family.

I would have thought security of the van and family was a primary concern long before we put the key in the ignition!!!

Maybe if some members go off and do not use the fitted security devices, announcing they were subject of a gas attack is a convenient excuse for their own stupidity. The alternative is the insurance company declining to pay on a claim. My insurers state I must have a CAT1 Thatcham Alarm and they state it must be regularly serviced. If I trawled through the small print of the policy I am sure I will find a clause which states not only must I have the appropriate alarm systems, BUT I MUST USE IT!!!!

 

[666jw]

The thing I find extraordinary is the admission by one member that he has a full Thatcham Alarm system and recently tested it for the first time and IT WORKS!!! He goes on to say that he will use it in the future.

Another member says that they are thinking about door security and possibly having a small lock box installed.

I would have thought that the nature of this Forum would mean that members are constantly thinking about security of their van and personage because they are contemplating camping in the wild!!!

We are warned to leave the window covers off to allow for a quick getaway if our wild camping spot turns out to be wilder than we wanted yet some are only now testing alarm systems designed to protect the member and his/her family.

I would have thought security of the van and family was a primary concern long before we put the key in the ignition!!!

Maybe if some members go off and do not use the fitted security devices, announcing they were subject of a gas attack is a convenient excuse for their own stupidity. The alternative is the insurance company declining to pay on a claim. My insurers state I must have a CAT1 Thatcham Alarm and they state it must be regularly serviced. If I trawled through the small print of the policy I am sure I will find a clause which states not only must I have the appropriate alarm systems, BUT I MUST USE IT!!!!

Yes I've got a factory fitted alarm. I got a factory fitted smoke alarm. I even had a floor safe fitted, which is a great asset and relatively inexpensive ( about £70 ) . I can honestly say I've not "serviced" my alarm recently,.........that's a new one on me !

 

[shortcircuit]

If your insurance company requires an alarm to be fitted, you may well find within the small print of their policy that your alarm needs to have an annual service by an approved alarm company, similar to domestic alarms, to ensure it all works correctly. In event of a claim they may want to see the maintenance dockets.

 

[Covey]

I think the reference to having my alarm "serviced" means checked regularly by a registered installer and certified as in full working order.

My alarm system covers the doors, windows, external storage bins, garage, bike rack and motion sensors inside the MH. If I leave a bin unlocked then it beeps when I set the alarm to warn me that one area is insecure. I assume that the checks are to ensure that all the door and area sensors are working correctly and the wiring is secure.

However nothing will prevent my walking away and forgetting to set the alarm. When I was parked on a CC site at Gatwick I never set the alarm at night (but set the deadlocks on the doors) but would set it if I went off site.

Now I am touring in Europe (Holland at present and no wild camping permitted by law!) I set the external alarm at night and my noxious gas alarm.

 

[666jw]

If your insurance company requires an alarm to be fitted, you may well find within the small print of their policy that your alarm needs to have an annual service by an approved alarm company, similar to domestic alarms, to ensure it all works correctly. In event of a claim they may want to see the maintenance dockets.

Worrying ! Numerous vehicles in the family and and more than one property. That's a first, and i have never yet done this in all my life. I always assumed that if your alarm worked, it was working, and you have alarmed your property. If it doesn't, then it has broken and needs fixing and you have not alarmed the item.

Fwiw, I have had the odd claim over the years, and never been questioned. Still the claims have been years ago., times may have changed.

 

[mandymops]

They were used for anti static purposes due to the upholstery being made from a man made material, I don't remember them being used for car sickness. The best cure for that was to sit on a sheet of newspaper. It seems crazy but it works. :wave:

As has been said, the purpose made ones often wore away quickly until they did not reach the ground. I got round this by just fitting a length of thin wire fixed to the chassis instead. It was so lightweight that it was lifted off the ground when moving (even very slowly) and therefore lasted a long time.

Sounds of the same ilk as the theory that lining your shoes with brown paper stops jet-lag. Surely it must be a placebo effect.

 

[Deleted member 12539]

The thing I find extraordinary is the admission by one member that he has a full Thatcham Alarm system and recently tested it for the first time and IT WORKS!!! He goes on to say that he will use it in the future.

Maybe if some members go off and do not use the fitted security devices, announcing they were subject of a gas attack is a convenient excuse for their own stupidity. The alternative is the insurance company declining to pay on a claim. My insurers state I must have a CAT1 Thatcham Alarm and they state it must be regularly serviced. If I trawled through the small print of the policy I am sure I will find a clause which states not only must I have the appropriate alarm systems, BUT I MUST USE IT!!!!

I always set my alarm system when leaving my vehicle, as my insurance company implores, but there is no small print/clause insisting I set the alarm when I/we are in it, or that it must be serviced, just working.
After owning the m/h for six months I have only just found out that my system has the ability to arm doors but not interior, which I shall use in future! Nothing extraordinary about that!
I am quietly confident that I can protect my family inside my m/h when awake, and never felt the need to put extra systems into place, other than locking all doors during the night. However, after discovering the alarms benefits, I shall do the 'belt and braces' bit, because I can.

After speaking to clinical academics where I work, I do not believe I would be using a gas attack as a convenient excuse to my insurance company, as I believe they might just think I am stupid.

 

[Ste]

I always assumed that if your alarm worked, it was working

Ever had a dead battery? What do you think powers the alarm? Especially when you leave it in storage