Constance (dpa/lsw) – Thefts of boats and ship engines in Germany remained at a low level in 2021 – investigators expect a significant increase this year. This was announced by the Competence Center Boat Crime Baden-Württemberg (KBK) at the water police station in Constance on Wednesday.
The investigators specializing in boat crime seized 144 stolen sports boats (2020: 149) and 540 stolen outboard motors nationwide last year (2020: 541). Most of the boats were therefore stolen in North Rhine-Westphalia (26). In the southwest, 12 boats changed hands illegally. When it comes to the theft of boat engines, Brandenburg (102) is again at the top, in the southwest thieves stole 49 engines. The investigators attribute the continued low number of thefts to the travel restrictions that will still be in place at times in 2021.
On the other hand, the thieves are likely to be all the more active this year, as experts on boat crime suspect. In addition to the lack of travel restrictions, the demand for outboard motors in particular is greater than ever before. Spare parts and new engines are also currently hardly available or only available with long waiting times due to the tight market situation. Boat owners should therefore be particularly vigilant at the moment.