Caravan crime spree

The importance of securing along with insuring your valuable RV assets adequately has been thrust into the spotlight in recent days, with two late-model composite caravans stolen by brazen thieves along Australia’s east coast.

A Jayco Silverline caravan (registration 871QZH) and fitted with a unique black front stoneguard was stolen from outside a home in Burleigh Heads on Queensland’s Gold Coast, despite being secured with locks.

In a cruel twist, the male owner of the custom-built van is suffering from terminal prostate cancer, and planned to head off on a dream holiday around Australia with his wife Sue after working as a volunteer at the Commonwealth Games.

Writing on her Facebook page, Sue described the thieves as “low life scum who take, not work for what they want/need like the rest of us.”

She hoped that their misfortune might encourage others to think more carefully about caravan security.

“Our security measures were obviously not enough...  sad way to learn this,” she said. “So dear people, invest in heavy duty security and GPS tracking systems.”

Also appealing for help in retrieving their stolen caravan was the Bartlett family in NSW. Thieves driving a white Toyota Hilux were caught on CCTV cameras towing their Bailey Pegasus van (rego no.  Z47477) from Riverside Rd in Chipping Norton, despite it being parked behind locked gates.

Jayne Bartlett has offered a reward for information leading to the return of the stolen van, which is one of 67 RVs currently listed on the Stolen Caravan Registry website.

"It is so near and dear to us all and we would love to know if anyone has seen it or heard anything," she said.

Meanwhile, the Queensland Times reported that up to six caravans have been stolen in the Ipswich region alone so far in 2018, including two Jayco caravans – one from Raceview and another from Kalbar.

A Coromal caravan was also reported stolen from a Moogerah property, and Karralee and attempted theft at Yamanto.

Police are advising owners of caravans and camper trailers to use a tow locking mechanism to prevent opportunistic thieves from easily hooking up and towing away their pride and joy.