Safety/Security tips.

Safety is important and if you travel widely you may land up in rather less safe places then normal.


Carry two wallets. Your main one which is concealed and a real 'dummy' wallet

'Dummy' wallet has all those out of date store cards in, a few thousand dong some rupees etc. If you are mugged give your dummy wallet out rather then risk being stabbed etc.


Car keys. Loose those and you could be in big trouble. Put one somewhere on outside of vehicle which is secure but easy to get at without complicated tools

Credit/debit cards have at least two, one for each major bank system. If the Visa system is down the mastero system might be working.


HTH


Brendan

All sounds good,
my problem with keys, this Disco we just aquired has an imobliser and only on dongle to work it, so is it possable to get a spare does any one know, thanks in advance.

For a 300 TDi yes, so would imagine for a D1 as well.

Sometimes can be found on ebay.

You need to programme fob to vehicle which means that it is a garage job I believe.

Not main dealer but a good indie dealer should sort you out


Brendan

Some excellent advice, but i would suggest carrying a dummy set of keys instead of two sets which fit the vehicle, if they get a set which fit you could lose your vehicle or its contents before you return to it.

I would suggest also an in vehicle safe, these are mounted below the floor in an obscure area such as the load floor, a section is cut out and hinged, a steel box is welded in to house the safe, and the floor is dropped back to its normal position.

In addition i would suggest everything is screwed down with retaining clamps which can be locked, or something such as a high security chain is fitted to things which cannot be locked, the visible deterrent is usually enough to make thieves attack a less secure vehicle.

One system i use regularly for vehicle security is a very simple device, it is a fuel shut off valve, nothing more than a manually operated valve which protrudes through the vehicle floor at an appropriate point, when you just stop and close it, drop the carpet back on top and it is invisible, and thieves spend hours trying to start a vehicle with no fuel.

Windows are vulnerable so fitting a tinting film on the inside stops a lot of break in;s as many security films are available, they are also available in clear for front side windows and windscreens. I can attest to their strength as i has a windscreen hit by a brick thrown at high speed from a fast moving lorry, normally it would have gone straight through, but it hit the glass and trashed it completely, the film held and also prevented a face full of glass.

All good advice Assassin, especially the real 'dummy' wallet. Personally I never carry a wallet, but that is an excellent idea for 'iffy' situations in any part of the world - even in the UK on a Saturday night; simple and effective. Hand it over, they run off and leave you alone. Like it.

I made a lockable box under both the Range Rover's seats for my Dakar excursion. They were only simple hinged alloy flaps with a lock, but again effective.

A trick the locals play in Africa is for the kids to approach the front of your vehicle and start fiddling with the spot lights, grille or whatever. You see it and promptly get out and run around the front to see what they are up whilst telling them to . The result? Whoever was lurking around the back will dive into the open door and whatever isn't tied down gets swiped. Not so bad with four doors as usually they are confined just to the front dash, door pockets and cubby box, bad enough, but with the 2-door RR with their big long driver's door they could even gain access to whatever was on the floor behind the driver's seat or on the back seat.

Grrrr!!!! It's human reaction to jump out! So what's the alternative, let them unscrew your spotlight or fiddle with your winch? I hate tea-leaves.

thanks Brendan will look into that

Tom Mc wrote:

All good advice Assassin, especially the real 'dummy' wallet. Personally I never carry a wallet, but that is an excellent idea for 'iffy' situations in any part of the world - even in the UK on a Saturday night; simple and effective. Hand it over, they run off and leave you alone. Like it.

I made a lockable box under both the Range Rover's seats for my Dakar excursion. They were only simple hinged alloy flaps with a lock, but again effective.

A trick the locals play in Africa is for the kids to approach the front of your vehicle and start fiddling with the spot lights, grille or whatever. You see it and promptly get out and run around the front to see what they are up whilst telling them to . The result? Whoever was lurking around the back will dive into the open door and whatever isn't tied down gets swiped. Not so bad with four doors as usually they are confined just to the front dash, door pockets and cubby box, bad enough, but with the 2-door RR with their big long driver's door they could even gain access to whatever was on the floor behind the driver's seat or on the back seat.

Grrrr!!!! It's human reaction to jump out! So what's the alternative, let them unscrew your spotlight or fiddle with your winch? I hate tea-leaves.

Fit a ferry horn and, well, you can guess the rest

I never carry a wallet either, the reason is simply that it often leaves an outline in your pocket and people know you are carrying one, it makes you a target for pickpockets as well as muggers.

The problem with our Series landie is that they are not very difficult to break into. - just push a window pane in for example. I have done a few bits...I have a guard between the front and the back of the vehicle - yeah, it's bolted, but will stop the quick opportunist. I also bolt my waffle boards over the top of the side windows - so would take time to get into those.

I have an electric cut-off switch and my bonnet is bolted down - again all things that could be broken/figured out eventually, but the way I see it, every bit that is annoying for them is going to slow them down!

Also, anyone looking into my Series can see that there is nothing of any real value in it - so fairly pointless in breaking in for the contents. If they really want to steal some food and water, well, they probably need it more than I do!

RR

Any vehicle can be easily broken into by most amateurs fairly quickly, just because you have poor security does not mean you have to suffer, often the best security measures are the simple bespoke measures which are not well known, and unique to an individual vehicle.

I had the opportunity, several years ago, to try to break into a security van which was supposedly the best at that time, i applied a little common sense and was into the vehicle within two minutes using normal commercially available equipment, for obvious reasons i will not disclose how it was done, merely they it was easily done. If nothing else it made the vehicle designers sit up and take notice of their pride and joy.

The basic premise of security it to make your vehicle harder and longer to break into than other vehicles, make it as noisy as possible, and ensure nothing of value can be seen, if a crook wants it they will have it, look at the French imported criminals gassing people in campers through the vents. It will depend on what type of criminal it is, and how far they are prepared to go.

Security is a big concern for us - all important documents are scanned on to USB's including colour photocopy of all bank cards, carnets, import docs. etc - one left with reliable contact in UK, one hidden in van as the stick is so small it would be almost impossible to find - we carry a cheap 3 in 1 printer/scanner copier that will run off our inverter and find it invaluable.

Also use the false wallet ruse with obsolete cards, phone card, variety of low value notes and false PIN numbers'hidden' in the wallet - like you are not supposed to but most people do!

We have a second obsolete findable laptop, have put internal padlocks on side and rear doors and have removed the front door lock release pins so even if a window is broken you can't easily open the door. All other windows are DIY secondary double glazed anyay with acryllic so hard to enter.
Generally we always take the limited valuables we have with us and spread them between us - what is left inside is easily replaced so why worry? Back up pics daily so if the camera goes the memories dont.

Have seen some people hang a meaty looking dog leash on the wing mirror to infer there is a mutt about!

We also have a stash of circa £100 in what seems to be a clever hiding place to 'reluctantly' hand over if need be.

Basic principles apply as well - look low key - limit decals, graphics etc. Park appropriately and heed local warnings, always lock up - we put a strong arm device over the steering wheel, close all curtains and leave a small battery operated radio on medium volume tuned to a local station that will last for hours - use rechargeables.

Recently secured a small personal attack alarm inside my wallet and hooked up to my belt loop so if it gets knicked the alarm will a)sound and b) help locate the missing item and perp!

Having said all the above the nearest yet we have come to a melt down was when I just dropped my wallet in a very popular tourist spot and found it had been handed in within 5 minutes to the tea counter - good old OZ.
www.sastt.blogspot.com

Just echoing what Rustyrhino said really. Many, many years ago I had a XR3 (showing my age now!).

I put a separate electrical switch in the ignition line. This extra switch was flush mounted, placed in the roof of the glove box, which itself was also lockable. It was bit of a pain to fit with moving the plastic trim around the steering column to get to the wiring and then having to feed the wires through to the passenger side. But in the end well worth it for the piece of mind. Thankfully I never found out if this switched would have made the difference or not!

[quote="DEF110"]Just echoing what Rustyrhino said really. Many, many years ago I had a XR3 (showing my age now!).

I put a separate electrical switch in the ignition line. This extra switch was flush mounted, placed in the roof of the glove box, which itself was also lockable. It was bit of a pain to fit with moving the plastic trim around the steering column to get to the wiring and then having to feed the wires through to the passenger side. But in the end well worth it for the piece of mind. Thankfully I never found out if this switched would have made the difference or not!

I wasnt so lucky,,,i had my black sexy XR3 stolen years ago,,,,,,bbbaaa humbug,,,,,
and this week my mates mum was followed home and as she was going thru the front door this guy knocked her to the floor and ripped her gold necklace from her,,,she was very brused but she is ok very shaken,, ,so things down here arnt all rosie theres some scumbags down here we have to be very carefull and have our witts about us,,we were robbed on the road last year,,,now i never stop for anybody or anything,,,,

Has any one gone to Morocco with a soft top. I'm planning to go as a support vehicle in my 101 GS. It would be great if the back was empty but it's not going to be. I can't afford or don't want to change it to a hard top I thought about ply boarding up the sides. I already have a gate on the back.

It would be fuel etc above my lockable lockers



Any other tips

Vehicle security is ALWAYS going to be an issue, whatever country you are in. There is no such thing as the perfectly secure vehcile, except in movies.
I worked in vehicle rental for many years and my drivers and customers were forever losing/misplacing/locking keys in the vehicles. I reckon I could have made a good living nicking cars if I had wanted to. Among the EASIEST to get into (admittedly a few years ago, but they haven't really changed much), were the Mondeo. Focus, BMW's - all of them, Range rover, Astra,Vectra,....get the picture. Interestingly, one of the hardest to get into WITHOUT damaging it, which is the key here, was the Mark3 Festa!

The main thing, as already said, is MAKE IT DIFFICULT.MAKE IT NOISY. MAKE IT TIME CONSUMING. They are unlikely to bother then, unless they want something specific - then you will never stop the buggers.

Hi,

Travel safety and security should be at the top of your packing listfor any international travel, whether a short vacation or business trip or an extended tour or assignment overseas.

The world is a beautiful place to explore, with so much to see and do that is different from your own culture. As many expatriates will tell you, living in a foreign country can be even more exciting and challenging because you become so immersed in the culture.

Thanks all for the valuable tips.

Another question - has anyone installed a tracking device in their vehicle? Any suggestions on manufacturer etc?

All information is valuable - even suggestions on what to avoid!

kind regards
African GirlChild

A guy by the name of Tim Holway at www.3ARC.com supplied a tracker for my Landy Rally Euro 4x4 Charity Drive four years on the trot. Worked a treat every time, very helpful from start to finish, Say no more!

Tim can be contacted on tim@3arc.com, say Tom McGuigan of Landy Rally suggested you contact him. If nothing else, pick his brains, nice bloke!

Hi Tom

Thanks for the pointer. I'll have a look and drop Tim a note.

rgds
African GirlChild

Many tracker companies exist, we have them in nearly all our company vehicles so we can track them in real time, and many variants of these systems exist for private individuals vehicles.

Assassin - any particular ones you use? I realise there are a few out there, so suggestions welcome.

African GirlChild

We switched the company trucks from Volvo to Scania a couple of years ago, as part of the package they threw in their satellite tracking facility free of charge to sweeten the deal, and also retro fitted the modules to a number of our vans also, therefore we use the worldwide Scania package as many of our vehicles may be anywhere in the world.

we did morocco in a soft top lightweight, I put steel mesh on the inside of the canvas for added security,

totaly agree with all the hints and tips, we follow them all, be vigulant and be aware of your surroundings and who is around you or the rest of the party,

try leaving your keys in the house and breaking in to your vehicle or you house for that matter,

dont leave your vehicle unattended if poss,

if you are doing the dessert in a rag top, best piece or one of the best bits of kit was a canvs tarp, it covered every thing once on the go, the dust gets every where.

https://4x4overlandtravel.forumotion.co.uk/t347-camera-cases-and-general-security

Link for you Andy, just in case you haven't read it.