Important update from Kent Police

[Nauti Fox]

From the MSBA site



Ribs and Outboards

Kent Police have advised that due to a restriction on the supply of large ribs and outboards across Europe at the current time there is a heightened risk that we may see an increase in the number of thefts of these items from our clubs and moorings taking place over the coming months. Therefore, members are asked to advise their club members to photograph any ribs and outboards that they have in particular any serial numbers contained on the items and keep these photos in a safe place. It is also likely that we will see more immigrants being brought to the UK by yacht and motorboats. If a member has any of their equipment stolen, or sees large numbers of people leaving a vessel can they please be asked to report it to Kent Police using
their online form and email Peter details of the crime reference number so that this can be flagged to the Kent Marine Unit.


Drugs:

In the past few weeks there has been an increase in the number of packages containing drugs being dropped overboard from large container and merchant ships as they passage up the South East Coast and in particular up past the Thames near the Windfarms. With the recent strong winds some of these are packages have ended up in the Thames Estuary and the edges of the Medway.
These packages contain trackers which enable the UK gangs to recover the packages containing drugs when the weather permits. Kent Police has asked that if you see any suspicious packages that you contact them immediately ideally with the co-ordinates of the location of the package. Only if you feel safe to do so and there is no other vessels around secure the package aboard and return it to the shore, advising the police on route where you will be landing the package and they will arrange for you to be meet either by the Police or UK Border Force Officers. Please be aware that the people wishing to collect such packages are likely to be dangerous so please don't put yourself at risk.


Important update from Kent Police

 

[mrming]

"Only if you feel safe to do so and there is no other vessels around secure the package aboard and return it to the shore, advising the police on route where you will be landing the package and they will arrange for you to be meet either by the Police or UK Border Force Officers. Please be aware that the people wishing to collect such packages are likely to be dangerous so please don't put yourself at risk."

I know there's a disclaimer but this seems like an insane piece of guidance. By all means tell the police where a package is, but picking up something that could be tracked by organised criminals seems beyond risky. It's not just vessels around you need to worry about - the people tracking could be waiting for you on the shore.

 

[johnalison]

"Only if you feel safe to do so and there is no other vessels around secure the package aboard and return it to the shore, advising the police on route where you will be landing the package and they will arrange for you to be meet either by the Police or UK Border Force Officers. Please be aware that the people wishing to collect such packages are likely to be dangerous so please don't put yourself at risk."

I know there's a disclaimer but this seems like an insane piece of guidance. By all means tell the police where a package is, but picking up something that could be tracked by organised criminals seems beyond risky. It's not just vessels around you need to worry about - the people tracking could be waiting for you on the shore.

Maybe those to whom the advice is aimed would include fishermen or working boats, some of which might feel that making a suspect package easier to recover a worthwhile act.

 

[Minerva]

"Only if you feel safe to do so and there is no other vessels around secure the package aboard and return it to the shore, advising the police on route where you will be landing the package and they will arrange for you to be meet either by the Police or UK Border Force Officers. Please be aware that the people wishing to collect such packages are likely to be dangerous so please don't put yourself at risk."

I know there's a disclaimer but this seems like an insane piece of guidance. By all means tell the police where a package is, but picking up something that could be tracked by organised criminals seems beyond risky. It's not just vessels around you need to worry about - the people tracking could be waiting for you on the shore.

Ach, unwrap the package when you pick it up, discard the tracker and bish Banda bing - its party time!


[just in case you don’t get my sense of humour- don’t actually take random drugs found bobbing in the ocean]

 

[mrming]

I’m not saying I don’t consider it a worthwhile act. Just that given the possibility of it being tracked by a criminal gang, I wouldn’t take the risk, and I wouldn’t advise others to either.

 

[kev99]

I frequently see a lot of unmarked suspicious items floating just off Walton in the Medusa channel.....should I report those to the Police or just secure them onboard?

More seriously, I don't believe that this is really that much of a new trend.....on a couple of crossings Harwich to points East over many years, I've seen very odd items floating in the middle of the TSS which looked too deliberate for flotsam and jetsam. After I established there was no hazard to navigation or life I didn't investigate too closely for the good reasons above!

 

[Frayed Knot]

Outrageous request - Kent Police should be ashamed!

 

[Bigplumbs]

Outrageous request - Kent Police should be ashamed!

Yup sort of asking others untrained and with no authority to do their Jobs me feels

 

[johnalison]

Yup sort of asking others untrained and with no authority to do their Jobs me feels

Yup. We are all champing at the bit in the hope of being allowed to pay higher taxes so that the police can be everywhere at once.

 

[footsoldier]

Outrageous request - Kent Police should be ashamed!

Yup, outraged you are.

Just for once, the Police issue some clear, sensible advice that does not appear to be influenced by the woke, politically-correct nonsense that generally pervades official utterances and that would enable adult boaters to make their own value judgments in their choice of actions or inactions. (I suspect that they are also aware that there a good few who would be unable to resist the sight of something intriguing bobbing about, and wish to alert them to the possible unforeseen consequences).

But, waste of time and effort, someone is all too ready to jump on the outrage bus.

 

[Sailing steve]

I’m not saying I don’t consider it a worthwhile act. Just that given the possibility of it being tracked by a criminal gang, I wouldn’t take the risk, and I wouldn’t advise others to either.

Not only that but I'd not actually be all that excited about attending court as a witness should any prosecution result from you fishing several kilos of top quality Colombian marching powder out of the water and taking it to Plod.

 

[Frayed Knot]

Woke? Politically correct? Really???
I just see an ill-thought through, irresponsible request that could encourage well intentioned but naive people to put themselves in terrible danger.
I have nothing but admiration for people who try to assist those providing our public services and protection - given the opportunity I would readily do so myself - but not if it involved stepping onto a motorway to direct the traffic after witnessing a collision, which would probably be far less risky than appropriating the property of the Albanian mafia.
Also, I do believe that, as a society, we should pay more in taxes to fund our services. How woke am I?

 

[johnalison]

The main part of the advice is to report anything we see that might be suspicious. I would have thought that this was the duty of every citizen, and yachtsmen and those who go to sea locally are in a unique situation with regard to drugs imported in the manner described. If anything, the advice appears to discourage us from taking any active process, something that most seem to agree with. If people don’t want to assist the police in pursuing these appalling criminals that is up to them, but fortunately the majority, I would guess, are more public spirited.

 

[Frayed Knot]

The main part of the advice is to report anything we see that might be suspicious. I would have thought that this was the duty of every citizen, and yachtsmen and those who go to sea locally are in a unique situation with regard to drugs imported in the manner described. If anything, the advice appears to discourage us from taking any active process, something that most seem to agree with. If people don’t want to assist the police in pursuing these appalling criminals that is up to them, but fortunately the majority, I would guess, are more public spirited.

Of course any decent person should report such a sighting as quickly and with as much detail as possible but the part regarding retrieval and transporting to shore is where I take issue. At best the messages are mixed; “Only if you feel safe to do so and there is no other vessels (sic) around”
People like us are far from qualified to know the risks involved (or even if other agencies are watching the items as part of a wider operation not involving Kent Police) I really believe the only sensible advice should be an unequivocal “Report it. Don’t touch it and leave the area immediately.”

 

[xyachtdave]

Man up you lot!

Get stuck in and make a citizens arrest.

 

[mrming]

Man up you lot!

Get stuck in and make a citizens arrest.

I’ll take out a few of the jetskiers while I’m at it.

 

[ROBMH]

Outrageous request - Kent Police should be ashamed!

Frees them up to catch speeding motorists.

 

[Aquaboy]

" I'll take out a few jetskiers while I'm at it".....terrible terrible thing to say.......they are most likely the ones to be collecting the drugs in the first place....!!

 

[Bouba]

I would not trust the police when they say hand it in to them....how do you know they are not going to arrest you as a drug dealer ?......in fact try it.....call up the Kent Police and say...I’ve just returned from the continent and I think there is an illegal hiding in my van.....see how grateful the police are to you

 

[Poignard]

I would not trust the police when they say hand it in to them....how do you know they are not going to arrest you as a drug dealer ?......in fact try it.....call up the Kent Police and say...I’ve just returned from the continent and I think there is an illegal hiding in my van.....see how grateful the police are to you

I don't think you would need to worry yourself Boobs.

I'm sure anyone here would be prepared to vouch for your unimpeachable character.