Buyers should be extra vigilant when purchasing touring caravans following an increase of stolen trailers imported into the UK from Europe warns the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS).
With British laws changing to allow wider caravans to be towed on the roads, demand for European-style vehicles has rocketed, opening a new market for thieves. Gangs are in operation throughout Europe stealing desired caravans, destroying the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and importing them into the UK to sell on to unsuspecting holidaymakers.
“Caravanning is an enormously popular pursuit in the UK, with some 25,000 caravans sold in the UK each year.* Criminals are taking advantage of the UK’s new demand for European vehicles and often thefts overseas are taking place outside of trading hours so that no early notification is received by the police. This is then allowing the stolen units to enter the UK without suspicion,” says AVCIS’ Leisure Vehicle Officer, Tim Booth.
AVCIS is currently working with organisations such as the National Caravan Council as well as European manufacturers in order to provide caravans with more vigilant documentation, such as identification marks in the caravan’s structure and identity tags. However, there are a number of things that the public can look out for when purchasing a European caravan:
• Don’t be tempted to buy a bargain that seems too good to be true: it probably is!
• Review the chassis stamp to see if it has been removed or altered completely
• Ensure that the original registration document is provided. Unlike UK caravans, European caravans are registered as trailers so must have an official log book
• Ask the seller for identification and proof of their address
• Ask to see photographic evidence of the seller using the caravan. Few caravan users wouldn’t have photographic records of their travels
This warning from AVCIS has been issued as part of Car Crime Awareness Week, which runs from 13-19 June 2011. For more information on vehicle crime and AVCIS visit www.avcis.police.uk.
* Statistics provided by the National Caravan Council
