Police warn of K&A break-ins

[billS]

I have just received the following message from Waterscape:

 

Police Incidents along the K&A Canal

 

Wednesday 13 March 2013 - Wednesday 20 March 2013 Canal River trust has been made aware of several break-ins on Boats and Cars along the K&A Canal, if you need to report any crime please contact your local police on 101

 

Enquiries: Police 101

 

It's a bit lacking in detail. Does anyone have any more info about where these incidents have taken place?

[Chris Pink]

It's been a bit widespread, it's not clear whether it's one individual or many. I have heard (reliably) of 9 boat break-ins in the last week between Kintbury and Bradford. THere has been a spate in the Seend area over the last few weeks and quite a few boater-on-boater thefts in the Limpley Stoke valley, mainly diesel but also some odds and sods too. A work-all-day boater near Claverton was broken into a couple of weeks ago.

 

The K and A community website : http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk is reporting some though I'm not sure if last week's incidents are reported there yet.

[Tuscan]

It's been a bit widespread, it's not clear whether it's one individual or many. I have heard (reliably) of 9 boat break-ins in the last week between Kintbury and Bradford. THere has been a spate in the Seend area over the last few weeks and quite a few boater-on-boater thefts in the Limpley Stoke valley, mainly diesel but also some odds and sods too. A work-all-day boater near Claverton was broken into a couple of weeks ago.

 

The K and A community website : http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk is reporting some though I'm not sure if last week's incidents are reported there yet.

 

 

All boat thefts are bad but boater on boater thefts are especially sad to read about.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I spoke with a guy having a door window replaced. He was broken into last night at Semington.

Nothing was stolen. His food cupboards had been gone through but nothing taken.

Fits the discription of the burglaries described on the k&a website, that of a homeless person.

[Trix]

Moored near sulhamstead tonight , was warned that three boats had been robbed in the last few days , can only say this is what i was told and thankfully the other half is on the boat during the day as this is when it's happening . The boaters here are now watching out for each other so let's hope that catch the little sh%ts and keel haul them . is that allowed these days ?

[cyclic]

Waterscape have sent out This email :

 

Police Incidents along the K&A Canal

 

Wednesday 13 March 2013 - Wednesday 20 March 2013

Canal River trust has been made aware of several break-ins on Boats and Cars along the K&A Canal, if you need to report any crime please contact your local police on 101

 

Enquiries: Police 101

Further to that, I've had information from another boaters forum of Locations

 

'Boaters AWARE - latest from police , 12 boats been burgled from Kintbury to bradford on avon . Scruffy boats , new very uptogether boats , one boat had two dogs on it and it was still no deterrent . Its thought it could be two 'teams' one working above flight one below . Area's hit so far , semington bradford trovegas horton pewsey wootton rivers kintbury. Advice is - moor up together .

 

 

Most recently, 2 boats at Horton near Devizes have been screwed over within last few days

 

Laminated signs are being prepared, warning of burglaries. Caen Hill Marina aware, CRT has postings on its websites. K&A Canal Boaters Society group are following.

 

Sorry. I've cross posted with http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=55024

 

Its now up to the Community. Pass it around and be wary

 

C

Edited March 14, 2013 by cyclic

[cyclic]

Sorry. Ive just started a new topic on this.

This one was getting a bit far down.

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=55044

Edited March 14, 2013 by cyclic

[Theo]

Now merged. Thanks for the heads up, Chris.

 

Nick

 

PS If you think that an important topic is getting lost down the list, it's better to add a comment than to start a new one. Any comment added will bump it up to the top.

Edited March 14, 2013 by Theo
Add PS

[Chris Pink]

the latest on the grapevine

 

 

"Following the spate of thefts from boats in the past two weeks, police are patrolling the towpath after dark. They are calling on occupied boats to warn boaters, and also stopping and searching people on the towpath.

 

There have been 12 burglaries from boats that we know of in the last two weeks or so. As far as we know, two boats were broken into at Tyle Mill on 6th March, and one before that. We have been told about thefts in Kintbury, Great Bedwyn, Brimslade and Wootton Rivers. There were break-ins at Bishops Cannings on 8th and 12th March; at Seend and Whaddon on 11th March; at Semington on 12th March and at Bradford on Avon on 11th March. Items taken include food, rucksacks, climbing gear, a yoga mat, a bicycle that was inside a boat, and valuables such as ipods. A gas bottle was also stolen in the last two weeks from a boat west of Limpley Stoke, following some thefts of diesel and coal from boats in or near Bath and vehicle break-ins. We believe that the thefts around Bath, the vehicle break-ins and the burglaries from Bradford eastwards were all done by different suspects, but that's not certain.

 

Secure your boat and your stuff as best you can, don't leave valuables on the boat if it's unattended, moor with other boats, and keep a look out for anything suspicious. CRT enforcement staff say they are liaising with the police about this. The police in Wiltshire appear to be taking this seriously; perhaps this is one of the outcomes of Wiltshire Council's Boaters Voices project which Sally Ash has tried to prevent the Council from distributing (the police are one of the service providers the project is aimed at). You can ring the police on 101 and if it's an emergency, dial 999."

[nb celestine]

the latest on the grapevine

 

 

"Following the spate of thefts from boats in the past two weeks, police are patrolling the towpath after dark. They are calling on occupied boats to warn boaters, and also stopping and searching people on the towpath.

 

There have been 12 burglaries from boats that we know of in the last two weeks or so. As far as we know, two boats were broken into at Tyle Mill on 6th March, and one before that. We have been told about thefts in Kintbury, Great Bedwyn, Brimslade and Wootton Rivers. There were break-ins at Bishops Cannings on 8th and 12th March; at Seend and Whaddon on 11th March; at Semington on 12th March and at Bradford on Avon on 11th March. Items taken include food, rucksacks, climbing gear, a yoga mat, a bicycle that was inside a boat, and valuables such as ipods. A gas bottle was also stolen in the last two weeks from a boat west of Limpley Stoke, following some thefts of diesel and coal from boats in or near Bath and vehicle break-ins. We believe that the thefts around Bath, the vehicle break-ins and the burglaries from Bradford eastwards were all done by different suspects, but that's not certain.

 

Secure your boat and your stuff as best you can, don't leave valuables on the boat if it's unattended, moor with other boats, and keep a look out for anything suspicious. CRT enforcement staff say they are liaising with the police about this. The police in Wiltshire appear to be taking this seriously; perhaps this is one of the outcomes of Wiltshire Council's Boaters Voices project which Sally Ash has tried to prevent the Council from distributing (the police are one of the service providers the project is aimed at). You can ring the police on 101 and if it's an emergency, dial 999."

I was talking to a policeman yesterday at Bradford on Avon and he said they are looking for a man about 40 years old with very blonde hair, maybe bleached. I moored at Airsprung, Hilperton, and about 7pm, 2 coppers knocked on the boat and said they were cycling between Sells Green and Avoncliff that night.

Nice to know they are out and about and taking it serious.

[GSer]

Last week an intruder was disturbed from the back end of a moored boat at padworth, a boater spotted torch light on the back deck of a nearby vessel.

[Flocal]

i have today put laminated warning signs at Kintbury, Hungerford, bedwyn, brimslade and wootton.

Stolen goods are ranging from food, beer, clothes and at the opposite end peoples personel belongings like jewlerly and ipods ect are going missing.

Four boats in the wootton area have been broken into, two in broad day light whilst owners at work.

This person could well be homeless or even working with another boater. We would like to believe it not but im kind of thinking its too coincidential that two boats moored a few feet away at horton were burgled within three days of eachother. If i robbed a boat i wouldnt be going back three days later unless i knew 100% the owners would be away.

 

It wouldnt tske much for the police to send a bicycle mounted officer between certsin areas every day. Im sure there are over weight PCSO'S who could do with a ride.

[DandV]

Perhaps the "homeless" burglar is the gent that broke the rear door open on our hire boat moored just below the weir in Bath in 2009. He was a thirty something hopeless alcoholic just a few days post prison release. When confronted he pulled a knife he had stolen from the boat, but was grounded by a group of rugby playing fishermen. Because he had previous with violence he was sentenced to three and a half years, which means he would now be released. Stole a couple of cans of beer, some burn't cds, but left his half bottle of vodka behind next to the companionway when disturbed.

When we came back through Bath a couple of days later, it was the second item after Michael Jackson's death on the radio news! Does nothing much happen in Bath?

 

Don

Edited March 15, 2013 by DandV

[Chris Pink]

I can't help feeling a little sad reading this, was it really the best thing for anyone, him, society, to throw him back in prison for 3 and a half years (unless he misbehaved very badly he would have been out a year or so ago)? Would it have been better, perhaps to give him a kick up the arse and send him on his way. A ' hopeless alcoholic just a few days post prison release' is a person needing help and compassion. In these times he is unlikely to get either.

[Tuscan]

I can't help feeling a little sad reading this, was it really the best thing for anyone, him, society, to throw him back in prison for 3 and a half years (unless he misbehaved very badly he would have been out a year or so ago)? Would it have been better, perhaps to give him a kick up the arse and send him on his way. A ' hopeless alcoholic just a few days post prison release' is a person needing help and compassion. In these times he is unlikely to get either.

 

 

Better than prison or a kick up the arse would be to have provided some practical support.

[DandV]

Agree. The guy was not coping, he was homeless, near zero prospect of employment, probably had mental health issues, so it is not surprisingly he sought readily available mind altering chemicals for temporary relief from his miserable position. His only reliable accommodation was "inside". Society obliges, with more imprisonment, at great cost to the taxpayer and near zero chance of improving the guys prospects. We just take them out of circulation for a while and in the process just de socialise them more, reducing the prospects of any turnaround.

Incredibly expensive, incredibly inefficient, and unfortunately very widespread in even in societies such as our own regard themselves at the vanguard of civilisation.

Collectively we need a better way.

 

Don

[Chris Pink]

Better than prison or a kick up the arse would be to have provided some practical support.

 

There are some wonderful people providing great and very practical support for many people in his situation. The problem is pairing the person with the support and ensuring that support is resourced, as DandV says, to level that prison is.

 

it is a real indictment of our society that we are more ready to put resource into the prison system than supporting people with these difficulties. But for happy chance there walk all of us.

 

But I'm not going on; this topic contains too much important information to carry on off-topic.

[drverbrian]

There are some wonderful people providing great and very practical support for many people in his situation. The problem is pairing the person with the support and ensuring that support is resourced, as DandV says, to level that prison is.

 

it is a real indictment of our society that we are more ready to put resource into the prison system than supporting people with these difficulties. But for happy chance there walk all of us.

 

But I'm not going on; this topic contains too much important information to carry on off-topic.

 

At least while he is locked up he is not stealing hard earnt belongings from the likes of my son, who works five and a half days a week to pay for his pride and joy. Not to mention the fear he/they has inflicted on his partner. If we were tougher on these people perhaps they would think twice before feeling they have a right to break and enter other peoples property knowing that the will probably get "help and support".

[ChimneyChain]

Totally agree with you.

 

Darren

[Joshua]

At least while he is locked up he is not stealing hard earnt belongings from the likes of my son, who works five and a half days a week to pay for his pride and joy. Not to mention the fear he/they has inflicted on his partner. If we were tougher on these people perhaps they would think twice before feeling they have a right to break and enter other peoples property knowing that the will probably get "help and support".

 

I began my working life as a very busy criminal defence advocate. When I wasn't in court, I was in either police or prison cells, so I worked at the sharp end of the criminal justice system.

I remember once sitting with a client in the cells below Bristol Crown court desperately trying to think of something to say in mitigation on his behalf, that hadn't already been said before.

He was an habitual offender and alcoholic, the circumstances were such that it was inevitable that he would been given a custodial sentence all I could do was try to limit the term. I had his records in front of me and idly totted up the amount of time he had to date spent in prison. He was about 48 years old and not only had he spent over half his adult life in prison but the most serious offence he had ever committed was theft.

 

He duly went to prison. Twelve months later I was called to a police station to represent him again, theft from an off-licence, he had been released from prison that same day.

 

I eventually gave up criminal law because it was soul destroying, a merry-go-round going nowhere.

 

That was 30 years ago and there was then as there is now a lot of talented and caring people trying to change the way we deal with 'offenders' (as unlikely as it might sound, a number of states in the USA have done a lot of innovative and thoughtful work in this area) but until we evolve as people and rise above our deep seated desire for revenge, sentencing will be heavily weighted to feed this powerful public 'need' instead of addressing the causes of crime and trying to solve them.

 

It's the same sort of ignorance that feeds the sanitizing steamroller that will inevitably one day turn the canal network into a theme park for relatively wealthy weekend boaters. No one will benefit from that either, but it will still happen.

 

I believe the secret, is to eradicate ignorance.

 

 

[GSer]

Any chance we can keep this very useful and informative thread 'on topic'?

 

I like the extended contributions but they need a thread of their own before the OP gets lost totally.

 

Paul

[GAIA]

There was a short item on this topic on the local South Today news bulletin today (Sunday the 17th)

I am going up to check my boat, which is on the long pound, tomorrow.

Fingers crossed everything is OK.

 

Col

[Chris Pink]

Has it quieted down then?

 

What news from you Mr Frigate?

[nb celestine]

Has it quieted down then?

 

What news from you Mr Frigate?

 

I spoke to a chap this morning at Semmington who had £3500 worth of camera gear knicked off his boat recently. He was looking on Ebay at dinnertime and there is a lens for sale exactly like the one stolen. Quite distinctive apparently, and he has the serial numbers. The local CID are going with him this afternoon to check it out.

Bit of a long shot but you never know.

[FrigateCaptain]

Has it quieted down then?

 

What news from you Mr Frigate?

 

Nothing here as such, although I've removed valuables and taken the rifles for safe keeping for now