Stolen awning!

[Autonaut]

Just had our roll out awning literally ripped off. :cry: Probably last week in West Yorkshire.
Apart from the actual theft, one of the fixings has been wrenched into the roof of the van damaging it and skewing the roof up at that corner. The awning needs a key to wind it out but I suppose they are easy to get hold of.

Has this happened to anyone else and if so any ideas about protecting the awning from theft?

 

[sbmcd]

OMG thought getting a spare wheel was bad enough, where was it parked?

 

[Autonaut]

On a private parking space but easy to get to. Even so they must have had nerve. Got a lock for the spare wheel just over a week ago otherwise I guess that would have gone too.
Just found a post an a motorhome forum from someone who had their roll out awning nicked earlier this year. Also in West Yorkshire!

 

[Andy]

I recall hearing about some git having a go at an awning, pry marks on mount area. I don't think they got it off though.

 

[Martin]

I recall hearing about some git having a go at an awning, pry marks on mount area. I don't think they got it off though.

You are right Andy, it is on here somewhere but I am unable to find the post.

Sorry to hear about this Autonaut, I hope it does not cost too much to get sorted, will you claim on the insurance?

 

[BMVS-Camper-Hire]

We had this last year, someone tried to literally rip the awning off one of our hire Cali's!!! On someone's drive.......

 

[Andy]

We had this last year, someone tried to literally rip the awning off one of our hire Cali's!!! On someone's drive.......

Yes I had an idea it was one of yours Oli.

 

[Autonaut]

We had a proper look at it and were relieved the roof works fine. Being at a bit of a skew whiff doesn't appear to have damaged it. Probably will claim on the insurance because the dents and scrapes in the roof will need sorting apart from getting a new awning.
Police said it was very unusual and we were just unlucky.

 

[cozmo1589]

Complete low life tossers - honestly is nothing safe from thieving eyes anymore !!!

 

[bluebell]

How did you get on with this? Did insurance pay out?

 

[Autonaut]

The bodywork repairs are costing £200 and the replacement of the awning is about £650. Even though I was expecting it to be a lot worse I am still glad the insurance are paying up without quibbling. We have a crime number and some very good photographs of the damage.

Van goes in for his refit next week.

 

[gatvol]

Even if the police caught the lowlife that did this, I doubt they would have received a sensible punishment. You regularly see stories about people who commit these crimes 10 or more times with no custodial sentence being applied. I suffered a break in recently and as there is no CCTV, the police have done nothing other than give me a crime number. No follow up despite promising to call me.

The problem with CCTV is that you need a high quality system to provide shots that will stand up to court scrutiny. Does the footage prove that X perpetrated the crime ?

My village of about 500 homes has endured about 10 break-ins in the past fortnight. It is like the sad case of the OP, the damage suffered by the victim is grossly disproportionate to the modest financial gain made by the perpetrator. Heating oil is being stolen too (typically by placing a red hot tap into the side wall of a plastic tank) even fuel from petrol tanks, some of which are being drilled.

It seems as a society we simply do not have the police resources or prison resources to deal with petty crime like this anymore. Massive prison population already. Police response times hopeless in rural areas like mine. So often we read the justification for police cautions is a lack of resources

So, why in our society is there not even a hint of a discussion about corporal punishment - like in Singapore (rattan cane) ? I do not mean killing folk (capital punishment) or chopping off body parts (Saudis).

No one even talks about this alternative which I do find a little surprising, especially given the feeling of helplessness that my neighbours for example are feeling right now.

Rattan caning is cheap, society has the resources to administer this. Quite frankly the current status quo of slow police responses, and in the unlikely event folk do get prosecuted, repeat offenders receiving cautions, is not protecting communities like mine

I would rather not even consider rattan caning as an option. But equally I would rather not consider embarking on wars. But there are times when negotiations (police cautions), economic sanctions (fines) are deemed inadequate so physical wars follow.

 

[GrannyJen]

Just an indelible marker on the forehead ...

"low life tosser" or similar.

 

[Autonaut]

The police would have done a scene of crime examination on Van but the gap between when I knew for sure the awning was still there and the time we discovered the loss was too great - about 9 days. Yes we didn't notice! It had been absolutely pouring in between. I don't have any great ideas about how to stop petty thievery. The crims already do have an indelible marker on the forehead in a sense but you have to see them to stop them. The police often know if someone has just come out and started up their old modus operandi again.
Besides which they are in many ways really stupid and disconnected - the lad who lifted our music centre and tv some years back left a fingerprint on the window frame. Was living abroad for two years and the police arrested him when he came back into the country. He believed he wouldn't be convicted because some time had elapsed since he committed the crime and he had been doing drugs. As if!
I don't think the idea of corporal punishment is productive to society as a whole and it never stopped people anyway. I have now added to the van's security. It might help - I think, I hope, it was a largely opportunistic theft.

 

[Markgray6.1ocean]

Problem with this scrum is we are working to pay tax while they live rent and council tax free and get money every week and we are paying! It’s nor acceptable anymore

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

10 year old thread revival

 

[Billylou]

Problem with this scrum is we are working to pay tax while they live rent and council tax free and get money every week and we are paying! It’s nor acceptable anymore

Blimey