ronsurf
Well-known member
I'm posting this in this thread, and Scuttlebutt, hope no one minds.
Recently I had a break in on my boat. They stole a few items and completely ransacked and damaged it. I was not the only boat, the police say there were quite a few others in the area. The thieves were caught, and a number of items recovered. The police are trying to identify the owners of this property for two reasons: To return the stuff to the owner, and to incriminate the suspects.
I thought I'd put up this post for anyone with a boat in the Plymouth area to check their boat, and the contents. Some of the things taken were very small and may not be missed. If you've had something go missing, inform the police. This even comes down to crisp packets!
From my conversation with the police while I was there, a couple of things were obvious:
If you cannot identify an item as yours (serial number, proof of purchase etc) then they cannot prove it was stolen. You're less likely to get it back as well. You may be able to afford to lose a radio or a fishing rod, but if it's not reported as stolen then the thief can't be prosecuted. Record all serial numbers or take a photo just in case.
Anything stolen should be reported - it was staggering how the crime was linked together by the police, and how few people there were coming forward to claim their stuff.
So if you haven't been to your boat yet, check it as soon as you can. If you find anything missing at all (seriously, this goes as trivial as fishing lures) please contact Crownhill police station in Plymouth.
Recently I had a break in on my boat. They stole a few items and completely ransacked and damaged it. I was not the only boat, the police say there were quite a few others in the area. The thieves were caught, and a number of items recovered. The police are trying to identify the owners of this property for two reasons: To return the stuff to the owner, and to incriminate the suspects.
I thought I'd put up this post for anyone with a boat in the Plymouth area to check their boat, and the contents. Some of the things taken were very small and may not be missed. If you've had something go missing, inform the police. This even comes down to crisp packets!
From my conversation with the police while I was there, a couple of things were obvious:
If you cannot identify an item as yours (serial number, proof of purchase etc) then they cannot prove it was stolen. You're less likely to get it back as well. You may be able to afford to lose a radio or a fishing rod, but if it's not reported as stolen then the thief can't be prosecuted. Record all serial numbers or take a photo just in case.
Anything stolen should be reported - it was staggering how the crime was linked together by the police, and how few people there were coming forward to claim their stuff.
So if you haven't been to your boat yet, check it as soon as you can. If you find anything missing at all (seriously, this goes as trivial as fishing lures) please contact Crownhill police station in Plymouth.
