Prevent caravan and motorhome theft

Cheshire Constabulary is using a new tool to aid the force’s fight against caravan and motorhome thieves.

Even with video evidence police attempts to combat caravan theft have proved pretty dismal – see: https://youtu.be/j2M62f8phLc 

The new tech is a VIN CHIP – an anti-theft identification system which facilitates scanning a caravan or motorhome to see if it’s been reported as stolen.

Passing vehicles can be scanned at speeds of up to 60mph – of course any faster than that and the drivers can be pulled up for speeding.

Cheshire’s Roads and Crime Unit officers are now using the system, and owners of touring caravans and motorhomes are being advised to have a VIN CHIP fitted and registered with the Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme (CRiS).

Inspector Anton Sullivan, of the Roads and Crime Unit, said: 

“Used by many other police forces in the UK, ports officers and also in mainland Europe and Scandinavia, it has substantially increased the number of stolen caravans and motorhomes that have been recovered and returned to their rightful owner.”

Since 2008 a radio frequency chip containing a unique vehicle identification number (VIN) number has been embedded into all UK-approved touring caravans when they have been made.

Owners of older caravans can have one fitted at a relatively small cost, and owners of caravans made between 2008 and 2016 can pay to have their chip upgraded so that it works as well as the newer ones. This may have an insurance benefit with some companies.