Retired policeman and ‘road tripper’ give tips: this is how you prevent your camper from being stolen

We received an email from Martin Slingenberg, all the way from Kloetinge, a village in the province of Zeeland. As a retired police officer, he has studied the theft of motorhomes in recent years – something with a major impact, according to him.

“I have been able to experience a lot of thefts and the aftermath is always emotional. They have saved for years,” he says by telephone from Calpe, Spain. He is there – without a camper this time – enjoying a holiday and read the story about the West Frisian ‘camper gang‘. “I hope my tips can come in handy.”

According to him, the cheapest measure is often the best. “For example, don’t spend the night along highways and toll roads. Or between trucks that obscure your view.”

Leaving the camper alone at a supermarket with a large parking lot is also an option no go. “I always say: one person does the shopping and the other stays with the camper.”

Thieves and light. That’s not a happy marriage, Martin knows. “Place the camper under a lamppost when it is dark.” Criminals also dislike noise.

And Wilma, she also emailed us after the article, has a solution for that. “It’s not very cheap, but one level system is useful. Then you put it on its feet. Well, that makes a lot of noise when they want to drive away anyway. The entire North Sea coast will come to watch!”

And then it bearlock-key lock. In ‘camperland’ it is often mentioned as a measure.

That is a steel housing that ‘blocks’ the gear lever. And thieves in a hurry don’t have time to break such a poker. The police detective who investigated camper thefts in Noordwijk also tipped off this thing.

Other mailers also state that the bearlock gives them a ‘very safe feeling’, but ex-policeman Martin comments. “You should think carefully about how you secure your camper, because you need to stay safe yourself. People often forget that. What if a fire breaks out at the neighbors and you want to drive away? Well, fill it in yourself.” (Editor: that won’t work because of the bearlock).

Concerned mailer Bert agrees. “A bearlocklock on a vending machine makes no sense. A thief can operate the machine with a laptop and drive away.”

Skylights and windows

The camper also has its Achilles heel, namely the roof hatches and windows made of plastic. Martin, who even made a whole website about motorhomes – with a theft-step-by-step plan – says: “Most roof hatches or plastic windows can be pulled open with some force or a screwdriver. It is very difficult to secure something like that. An alarm or a window lock, but most tricks don’t really work.”

And furthermore: if you report a theft to the police, your license plate number is immediately passed on to the National Intelligence and Expertise Center for Vehicle Crime LIV) and also to the ANPR camera database along the road. So if your motorhome is stolen, call 112 as soon as possible.