Passau police offer free engraving to deter boat thieves

Police in Passau are stepping up efforts against thieves targeting motorboats and their parts in the border area with Upper Austria, ORF reports. The water police are offering free registration and engraving for boats, outboard motors and other equipment to make them less attractive to potential thieves.

Passau police have been monitoring thefts involving motorboats and other nautical equipment for years. Outboard motors are currently the main target, according to the Passau water police.

The annual engraving initiative is also open to boat owners in the Upper Austrian border area, including those from Kasten in Schärding district and Schlögen in Eferding district.

Stefan Fuchs, deputy head of the Passau water police, said the campaign was not necessarily a response to an increase in thefts but was intended as a preventive measure. Boat owners can have their outboard motors engraved with an individual identification number.

“As with cars, boat engines also have a number for identification. On boats, however, it is often hidden in a way that means it does not fulfil its purpose,” Fuchs said.

The numbers are engraved into boat parts by laser. The police say registered motors are less attractive to thieves and that the markings can also act as a deterrent.

This year, the campaign has been extended for the first time to neighbouring Upper Austria. Bavarian police are working with Austria’s shipping authority and water police as part of the cross-border initiative.

The campaign is held annually at different locations in the border area and usually attracts between 10 and 50 boat owners. Fuchs said a three-digit number of outboard motors had already been engraved over the years.

The next free engraving events will take place on Friday afternoon, September 18, at Wassersportfreunde Passau in Passau, and on Saturday morning at the harbour in Obernzell.