Pre-season warning on security for boatowners

BOATOWNERS are being warned to protect their equipment. With the season about to start, crime prevention officer PC John Le Couteur (pictured) said it was important it was locked up or marked clearly.

'What I want to do is make boaters aware that there are people ready to take the opportunity of stealing things if a few basic security measures aren't taken,' he said.

'It is typical of Guernsey crime in that it is opportunistic. People will steal things like dinghies if they can.'

Boat owners are advised to:

write down the serial numbers of all valuables such as radios and GPS;

etch the registration number of the boat in the windows when travelling away from the island;

tie down inflatable dinghies well and mark them securely to identify them;

padlock and chain outboard motors, especially small ones, and record serial numbers;

lock away and mark fuel tanks.

There were 30 reported boat-related crimes between 1 May last year and the start of this month. There were nine dinghies taken, four outboard engines stolen and eight thefts of equipment.

'It is something that happens every year but these are just the reported crimes,' said PC Le Couteur.

'We think other things are taken but it is difficult for us to gauge the scale of the problem when people don't report incidents,' he said.

'The equipment taken is not cheap to replace.

'Outboard engines can cost several hundred pounds if they are second-hand and several thousand pounds if they are new.'

The problem with most stolen equipment, especially dinghies, was that it was hard to identify to whom it belonged and PC Le Couteur said it would be easier if all property was marked.

'There are many ways of security marking. Just make the effort, even if it is just recording the serial number of a radio or an engine so that we can identify it.

'Or you can get a UV pen to mark property.

'When we take a complaint, we are on the lookout for what is stolen. The information is circulated among all police officers.

'If the items are identifiable, it is easier to solve the crime.'

He said well-marked equipment was the best deterrent.

'If a dinghy is marked with the name of the boat it belongs to, it is less likely to be stolen than an anonymous one with no identification. There must be hundreds of identical dinghies in the island.'