R.H.A. Show How to Foil Thieves
Page 57
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A'part of their publicity programme, the newly formed security committee of the Road Haulage Association staged a demonstration of anti-theft devices at the premises of J. Spurling, Ltd., West Ferry Road, London, E.14, on Tuesday.
To the intermittent blare of alarm horns, a dozen or so vehicles displayed their secrets to critical visitors. Most devices were designed to cut out the ignition or the fuel supply and, in one case, the braking system. Most incorporated a horn-alarm system.
It was emphasized that hauliers were confronted by teams of highly skilled thieves. Few of the devices on sale today would baffle a determined operator, with an engineering background, for• longer than half-an-hour. Yet time was often the vital factor in successful thefts of lorries or their loads, and all the devices demonstrated would certainly delay even a professional thief.
The Deepro diesel immobilizer, for example, made by G. H. Wood and Co.,
Ltd., • is simple and effective, The mechanism container can be fitted anywhere in the cab. A plunger takes the place of the normal fuel plunger. To immobilize the engine, the driver Presses the plunger, cutting off the engine in the normal manner. The plunger automatically locks in the closed position and the vehicle is safe. An individual key is used to unlock the device..
The same company market the•Protex, a penetrating intermittent horn alarm which is effective after the last door is locked and which cannot be stopped without a special key. Wood's Carpro is an alternative device, cutting out the ignition system from a barrel lock unobtrusively fitted under the dashboard or elsewhere.
Strident Alarm
Security Products Manufacturing Ltd., market the Car Guard, an automatic device protecting bonnet, doors or luggage compartment. On removal of the ignition key, a strident warning alarm comes into operation if the vehicle is tampered with. The special key is separately housed in a heavy-gauge-steel container, and the horn alarm cannot be cancelled by switching off the ignition.
Makesafe devices are manufactured by J. Sheppard and Son. The unit for diesel engines is self-contained and has the effect of cutting off the fuel supply, securing the cab doors, and providing an audible warning to the driver. An external key operates the master switch, allowing the driver to enter the vehicle without setting off the alarm.
Sheppard also supply an arsenicalsmoke generator which can be fired automatically through the cab rear window.
The Petromag device, made by Ross Courtney and Co., Ltd., is easily fitted. It is a combination of petrol tap, ignition
switch and lock, immobilizing the coil or magneto. The fuel supply is normally interrupted between pump and carburetter. The electrical connections are made on the low-tension side of the ignition coil.
Auto Protection Engineers offer a device combining horn blasts with ignition cut-out. . The alarm can be set to cover doors, bonnet or boot, and is operated by a special key installed externally near the driver's door.
Perhaps unique amOng current antitheft devices is the Auto-Safe, by Francis Motor Service, Ltd., which operates on
the hydraulic brake system. A nonreturn valve is incorporated, cutting the flow of brake fluid from the master
cylinder to the wheels. .
• Patfield Electrical Conti:acts, Ltd., offer two devices, In the first, suitable for both petrol and oil engines, a special ignition key operates an audible alarm. In the second, a key protects luggage compartments and doors by a continuous warning note. The two systems can be combined.
Three versions of the Sentry device, produced by the Sentry Auto-Alarm and Electrical Co., are available. In the first, an individual key installed on the outside of the vehicle sets off an alarm when the vehicle is tampered with. The second type has an interior switch wired to the ignition system, and the third offers both internal and external switches. In addition,
up to 14 traps on clutch, brake or accelerator pedals, for example, can be set
Alio Research and Development, Ltd., have a combination with eight contacts controlled by . a rotatable selector wired to ignition and horns.
Another combination device is marketed by he Oscott Instrument Co. It can be readily changed by the owner.
Jac° Products (Electrical), Ltd., have an electronic lock that gives many thousands of combinations. This operates by a system of paired multi-pin plugs wired differently, the particular pair being known only. to one responsible person. The driver has no knowledge of the combination. Fuel and ignition are cut out and an audible alarm is brought into action.