Urgent Request from Dorset Police Marine Unit

[havener]

Have posted this in the stolen forum, but may get a wider response here -

Subject: Urgent Dorset Police Marine Section Request

Dorset police have arrested a male in possession of a :

Dell Quay Dory 13 boat on FLETCHER single axled trailer with a brand new looking EVINRUDE engine fitted which was being towed by a van on false number plates at 2am in Christchurch a few days ago

The boat is almost certainly stolen from the Dorset Area, possibly Christchurch or Poole area's. Serial numbers etc are on the engine.

We really need to find out where this boat comes from and who owns it.

Please circulate far and wide to help us try and find the loser as soon as possible please.

Any information, please contact Dorset Police on 01202 222222 and quote crime number C:11:24215

This is a perfect example where property marking such as SelectaDNA could have been used, and we would now be contacting the owner to inform them that a person has been arrested with their boat!

Regards
APS Tristan Oliver
Marine Section
Poole
Dorset Police

[Channel Ribs]

http://www.rib.net/forum/f8/dell-qua...ice-42025.html

[jyasaki]

No registration numbers on the boat? (It would be required here in the States.)

jky

[Channel Ribs]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

No registration numbers on the boat?

From the original thread...

Originally Posted by Channel Ribs

Do we imagine that the boat either had no marking on it or that the light fingered van driver had removed them?

[Poly]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

No registration numbers on the boat? (It would be required here in the States.)

jky

Fortunately boating in the UK is somewhat less regulated!

If the hull was probably had a hull id no on it when built (and certainly since the RCD - 15 yrs or so ago?) - but the older a boat the more likely that its fallen off or been removed. However ever with the HIN there is no central database so tracing the owner would only be straightforward if it has been reported stolen and the owner knew the HIN.

And of course the numbers may have been removed by the thief.

On the otherhand this lack of central control is part of what makes it easy for boats to be nicked.

[Screaming04]

Originally Posted by Polwart

Fortunately boating in the UK is somewhat less regulated!

If the hull was probably had a hull id no on it when built (and certainly since the RCD - 15 yrs or so ago?) - but the older a boat the more likely that its fallen off or been removed. However ever with the HIN there is no central database so tracing the owner would only be straightforward if it has been reported stolen and the owner knew the HIN.

And of course the numbers may have been removed by the thief.

On the otherhand this lack of central control is part of what makes it easy for boats to be nicked.

Requiring a number on the hull attached to a name for boats over 9.9 hp is some sort of burden?! No wonder the "Pikeys" nick your boats.

[Poly]

Screaming04,

In the UK anyone can buy any boat, anyone can then put that boat in the sea and drive it. There is no regulation process of leisure skippers or vessels - and many people are keen it stays that way - anything else is seen as likely to result in charges, which would be perceived as taxes. Vessels used outside UK waters do have a process. Vessels with a mortgage attached to them also have a registration process. However from a safety perspective there is no compelling case that changing the process would improve things so generally the usual arguments for registration/regulation don't hold water.

Stolen boats may be one reason to do something about it - but although RIB theft is of increasing concern the number of boat thefts compared to the total number of vessels is tiny (many quite large yachts that can't just be towed away behind a transit van, many small sailing dinghies which have limited value outside a small race circuit where every hull is registered etc). The yachty world probably worry more about tender theft than their main boats - but there would probably be some exemption for very small boats! High value thefts are believed to be normally on their way to Eastern Europe by the time the police have been informed, so its not obvious how a number would help (in contrast it would help if the problem was an "internal" market within the UK).

[Channel Ribs]

A very succinct description of the situation.

These guys started up just after Harbourwatch, not sure how current they are though:

http://www.boatregister.eu/

[SPR]

I know I have given all my details to my insurance company! Surely this is the centralised database...although I know people drive boats without insurance!

education not legislation is the RYA phrase.

Anybody can register there boat on the small ships registrar, mortgaged or not.

Back to education...

regards

S.

[hobnob]

Originally Posted by SPR

I know I have given all my details to my insurance company! Surely this is the centralised database...although I know people drive boats without insurance!

education not legislation is the RYA phrase.

Anybody can register there boat on the small ships registrar, mortgaged or not.

Back to education...

regards

S.

Luckily you US citizens have the 2nd amendment for other hardware - I am still steaming from a conversation with a police bureaucrat this morning about their need to have everything in triplicate. I could be a complete psycho and own a gun - I'd just need to tick lots of their paper boxes and jump through hoops.