My thoughts too. Change a couple of cosmetic thing then sell it on for a quick profit. There are some bad people about
just a thought... you know how fuel stations have cameras which film/check number plates. why can't these be programmed with stolen plates and inform the police? we know that the thieves will need fuel, especially in campers. could it/would it work?
Most cities now have ANPR cameras along the roads and motorways and police forces around the UK have access to the ones in their area . ANY vehicle that is reported stolen to the police is updated to a central system and should activate an alarm from one of these cameras if the vehicle passes it, so long as the registration plate is visible. Some fuel stations and supermarkets may allow access too but these cameras are privately operated and so being linked to the police system is not as straight forward as you may think.
These cameras are rarely anything other than standard CCTV where they go to playback if there is an issue. ANPR cameras are a different kettle of fish and the police can't cope with the loadings these trigger as it is, leave alone if static locations started feeding alerts. ANPR carries far more info than just stolen vehicles - there is no MOT, No insurance, wanted owner tags and various other intelligence tags on vehicles seen in suspicious circumstances. Plus, that's one step closer to fully monitored traffic, and an infringement on civil liberties. BTW - seem to remember a fair consensus in that thread last year with the red 78 bus masquerading as an pre 73 bus on the plates as a 'well done mate, you've cheated the system' from many. That one might have been the one exception as it seemed to be not stolen - but as a community we should have zero tolerance, not a wink wink nudge nudge approach because someone saves themselves 2 hundred quid a year on tax. I still think if the insurance companies got of their arses and sued prosecuted thieves and bankrupted the *****ers, then coping a Taking Without Consent charge wouldn't be the laughing joke that it is now.
hmm, when you put it like that.... i'm not familiar with the underworld dealings and it just seemed like and obvious quasi-solution as we all need fuel. but take your point on civil libs too! *eek* i guess i never realised it was so organised and it seems crazy that they just disappear esp when the vw network is quite a close-knit one. :/
Things are rarely stolen if there is no one to buy the items. I know a lot of people report scams on ebay - and as a community we should keep that up. Don't be intimidated by the organised element of these crimes - its nothing compared to the gangs wanting high end 4x4's and BMW's. Audi's etc. It doesn't take a lot of organisation to buy an old flat bed or tow truck and a pair of bolt cutters. Modern cars are usually stolen by burglaries for keys - if your bus is simple to steal without the keys then do something about it would be my advice.
many of these have been stolen from locked garages! seriously, what else can we do? (mine has no engine and rarely bloody works so not overly worried atm)
Sorry if I sound like a heartless Marmite - my genuine condolences go to the owners. Incidentally - most garages with up and over doors are a joke to get in to - two people with credit cards can open the main door in a couple of seconds. If the garage is tucked away, get some CCTV on it, or at least dummy CCTV and lights and a tidy set of locks for both doors. If you look aware and have some security, thieves will tend to go for softer targets. If you bus is dear to you, or simply dear - then spend a few quid on a tracker, wheel clamp etc.
I bought a wheel clamp after reading a similar thread - I also agree with the CCTV cameras etc. A decent alarm system would be worth it if your bus is dear to you.
Hi all first post so be gentle!!, are all these buses being driven away or loaded onto a recovery truck or similar, if its driven away then a need for more security devises fitted i think (only got an uber pedal lock on at the mo), more the merrier as they say!, if its loaded onto a truck surely someone would of seen or heard them, keep reading the splitty from notts is still being used around the midlands!
I personally think these two were rolled out and then onto a truck and that also the theives had been watching the place as usually the dog would go mad if it heard a noise outside, but on this evening b.f's dad had gone out and took the dog with him. Its just my speculation but who knows. Someone was home all eve/night yet we never heard a thing.
I simply can't see someone sat with a low loader round the corner waiting on the off chance that the dog was taken out of an evening. Most thieves will roll the vehicle away and start it down the road, they don't like to stay on property, especially in a garage as that can result in a charge of burglary.
The place is in the middle of nowhere, no one would have seen a truck parked down there. Its just my theory anyway. They must have been watching the place tho as they knew where they were parked (more than one garage/workshop) They could of took their pick of other vehicles which weren't hidden, yet the chose the best ones. I guess we will never know
Am not following - on the one hand its in the middle of nowhere and no one would have seen a truck parked down there etc - then you say there was someone at home all evening/night yet didn't hear a thing. My point is, an ideal situation for thieves would be to watch the place (and therefore be in sight) and hopefully someone would take the dog out. The odds of two people staying in situ until this event happened, whilst parking up some form of low loader are slim is my only point. As for knowing where the vehicles were - were they reccying the place before hand (and therefore at risk of the dog hearing them)? Usually, and this will sound Columbo like, it's someone that knows the owner has shared info either by accident or design (assuming that where they were parked was not in a place where people drive past regularly and could see them on the off chance). I'd ask around and see who was particularly interested in the location of the vans and the movements of the people that lived near by.
A lot of people on this forum are too nice and trusting of strangers. If it was the case that I was a professional van thief, I could pick and choose from your vehicles, work out were you are located and either act on this info. or pass it on. TLB is like an online catalogue of nice buses! The same applies to shows and meetings, sit at the gates and follow your chosen bus home! It's not difficult. The other option is to pick any one of the known restorers and pick from their latest projects. Sorry folks but we all make it too easy. Saying that it would be nice to see these buses back where they belong.
this may sound silly, but i have just been reading about smart water paint. it can be sprayed all over your bus and it a different code for everyone. like spray on dna.no spray is the same. perhaps this maybe the way to go.
This works if all buses are checked for smart water at some point, or all or part of the suspected stolen/ringed bus is recovered from thieves and then checked for smart water. As a new owner of what appears to be a legitimate bus would you check it for anti theft markings?
