camp-security-msg - 10/5/02 Camp security at SCA events. Securing items in your camp. Avoiding thefts. NOTE: See also the files: punishments-msg, p-police-msg, camp-showers-msg, firepits-msg, Fire-Book-art, P-Food-Safety-art, ticks-art, insect-prtctn-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ To: MedievalEncampments at yahoogroups.com From: Anne-Marie Rousseau Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 07:33:49 -0800 Subject: Re: [MedEnc] Making camp secure on making a camp more secure: in my experience, the things that "grow legs" are the things that are out in the open and easy to just pick up (ie smallish, light). Putting things away in chests is one way to reduce pilfrage. Most petty theives wont bother with going into your tent, opening chests, rifling through for something they may want and then going out. Now, if that shiney sword is sitting on your table in front, or on the bed inside the open tent.... if you have something really valuable, you might consider a strong box. One guy Iknow does that and its impressive (the box itself is so heavy that you cant lift it, and has a lock.) --Anne-Marie To: MedievalEncampments at yahoogroups.com From: "kisamul" Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 20:41:42 -0000 Subject: Re: [MedEnc] Making camp secure I have a couple of large chests with locks on them. Never lock them, and I've never had anything go missing, but then I also find that keeping mundane things completely out of view, thus a period camp site, also helps. I don't have a lot of little trinkets lying around, mostly large furniture items. If your tent (pavilion) is the type like panther with ties on the inside and out, it is going to be more noticeable to others when a stranger is fumbling with them to get inside, because it takes a while to get them undone. My tent has hidden zippers as well as ties, I suppose I could sew a loop at the bottom of the doors and put a little lock through the zipper pull. Or you could have a yurt with a wooden door and a deadbolt. :) Again I stress a period site: even if you're in singles camping, an attractive period site will have passers-by looking at your camp all the time. People will notice someone poking around, who obviously doesn't know where things are and doesnt' look very "at home". And a would-be thief is more likely to avoid public eye. I keep particular valuables locked in the trunk of the car anyway, out of view and away from easy access of car stereo theives. Hope this helps. I'm not a period nazi. Really. No, really! ---Ceara http://HouseBarra.com To: MedievalEncampments at yahoogroups.com From: Jennifer and Dan Wansing Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2002 09:59:02 -0800 Subject: [MedEnc] re: keeping tents secure Just remember... if you can pick your strongbox up and carry it into your campsite... someone else can pick the whole thing up and carry it away. Never let yourself be lulled into the idea of safety by a padlock. Mabel de Wymburn To: From: "Karl Eklund" Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 21:33:08 +0100 Subject: RE: [MedEnc] re: keeping tents secure > Just remember... if you can pick your strongbox up and carry it into > your campsite... someone else can pick the whole thing up and carry it > away. Never let yourself be lulled into the idea of safety by a > padlock. > > Mabel de Wymburn I've given this some thought. If you drive two stakes into the ground crossing at an angle. o o | \/ | | /\ | |________/ \_______| Chest bottom ___________/____\_______ Groundlevel / \ Then you cut a hole, as wide as the thickness of twice a stake, in the bottom of a chest. Place the chest over the crossed stakes so they protrude through the bottom into the chest, crossing each other on the inside. Insert a rod in the triangle formed by the stakes and the bottom. :-) Not so dumb, eh! The crossing of the stakes prohibits a straight lift of the chest. Heinricus vom Eichenhain m.k.a. Karl Eklund To: Organization: Wolfgaard Systems From: "Jay Yeates" Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 16:12:53 -0600 Subject: RE: [MedEnc] re: keeping tents secure * ... Just remember... if you can pick your strongbox up and carry it into your campsite... someone else can pick the whole thing up and carry it away. Never let yourself be lulled into the idea of safety by a padlock.... but if everything large, heavy, bulky, ... in that tent has a secure eyebolt attached and there is a length of chain run around the perimeter, behind everything, that passes through those eyebolts and is secured to the first and last item on the chain with padlocks ... you need a very strong juggler, or a small mob to move everything (and if one things moves, they all have to move ...) ... for good measure attach the tent poles and canvas (via grommets) - making it even bigger, bulkier, more of a hassle to steal. and its unlikely a scadian/pagan event tent-riffler would be carrying bolt cutters. as a alternative/added safeguard, they make portable, battery powered "shriekers" (think "portable banshee")... sensitive to motion / vibration that will draw attention to the fact that something out of the ordinary is going one inside a tent ... and thieves really dislike the attention such things draw and usually will move on in short order. ... i keep a small personal model (cheap, about $10) clipped to my belt / pack straps when in bear contry - they HATE the ultrasonic component. and it can be rigged "booby trap mode" so a string pulls the pin and sets off the alarm (say attach string to lid so if it's opened past a certain height it goes off, below that you reach in and unclip module from the inside side alternately, get a "car/truck safe" - heavy metal box that bolts into the body, usually under a seat of a carpeted area - and lock your valuables inside. being a CCP holder, i often use mine to temporarily hold my weapon if i'm carrying and in a situation where carry, even with permit, is illegal .... 'wolf To: From: "Rowanwald Central" Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 17:38:37 -0500 Subject: Re: [MedEnc] re: keeping tents secure with respect to Pennsic... > all joking aside, the best solution is basic common sense ... carry > your important stuff with you or lock it in your vehicles trunk. Do NOT lock it in your vehicle's trunk. Cars are at greater risk of break-in theft at this event than at weekend events - they sit too long unattended and there's too many for the security patrol to visually check round the clock. We have a flurry of "end of the War" reports of break-ins and vandalism. Not a huge number, mind you, but sufficient for extra caution to be taken. For the most part, it appears that someone with professional lock-breaking training targets the vehicles that might have expensive equipment inside. Rosine (I've been on staff for about 10 years - the problem is growing with the size of the event. Steps are being taken to address it.) Edited by Mark S. 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