Marine Watch helps keep thieves at bay

Essex Police is selling specialist covers to help cut outboard motor thefts as part of its Marine Watch scheme.
Detective Constable Simon Lofting, of the force’s Burnham-on-Crouch-based marine unit, said that 53 outboard motors, worth a total of £166,000, were stolen in Essex last year.
He added: “It is a major problem throughout Europe and organised crime gangs are believed to be responsible for most of the thefts. Last year, motors worth 70 million euros were stolen in European countries. There is a huge black market for the engines, especially in Eastern European countries.
“The thieves tend to go for the larger outboards, from 40hp upwards and costing from £8,000 to £15,000. They are being removed from boats left on moorings and also boats onshore.”
The marine unit is selling the special outboard motor cover as part of a plan to make engines less attractive to thieves when boats are left unattended on moorings or stored on dry land.
The idea is to urge boat owners to take their motor’s cowling home and replace it with a fabric cover. The cover will protect the engine parts but will devalue the motor in the eyes of a thief, who might have to spend hundreds of pounds for a new cowling in order to make the motor work again.
Any thief who does steal a disabled engine and tries to find a replacement cowling will trigger an evidence trail that police can act upon.
Marine unit officer PC Dawn Smith, who launched the covers scheme, said: “It is a very simple concept but has been proved to be effective after being started by Norfolk Constabulary. We contacted the same supplier and have been selling the covers at cost price since mid April. They are selling well.
“By providing the covers and working closely together with boat owners and the marine trade we hope to combat thieves who are wrecking people’s enjoyment of the sea and waterways by stealing outboard motors.
“Essex has a huge number of coastal and inland boating sites where outboards are used and we hope motor owners will use the covers and register with our Marine Watch scheme so that we can keep the engines out of the clutches of thieves.”
The covers are easy to fit and are secured to the engine with a pull-tight rope and adjusting strap and buckle that can be fitted with a padlock.
They also include the Essex Police logo and contact details for the force’s Marine Watch scheme, under which enthusiasts submit details of their boats and valuable marine equipment to a police database system.
With around 400 miles of coastline, together with inland rivers, canals and lakes used for boating, Essex is one of Britain‘s most popular areas for nautical sports, attracting many people from outside the county.
Essex Police is now anxious to extend Marine Watch to include everyone who keeps a boat in the county or who brings one in for the summer season.
By getting more people involved in Marine Watch, officers believe that many thefts can be prevented or detected quicker.
The Marine Watch database stores contact details for owners, the names and descriptions of boats, their mooring or onshore storage details, engine numbers and information about their electronic and navigational equipment.
In the event of a boat being stolen or recovered, police can quickly circulate details or find the rightful owner. The stored data can also be used to identify stolen items at boat jumbles or items recovered during house searches.
Marine Watch members also receive newsletters with crime prevention advice and information about local crime trends. Members can also benefit from property marking initiatives and meetings with the police marine unit officers.
Marinas and yacht and boat clubs can also set up their own Marine Watch groups with local volunteer coordinators to ensure that boats and equipment are marked.
Police community support officer (PCSO) Susie Smith, who runs Marine Watch from the Burnham-on-Crouch base, said: “The unit covers a huge area of coastline extending from Crayford Ness near Grays on the River