Jul 01 - Crime Awareness Week: Cars, Motorcycles, Mopeds, Boats

Written on 01 July 2015.

How to secure your cars, motorcycles, mopeds, scooters and boats - especially if you're on holiday.

ENSURE that all doors, windows/sunroofs are closed / locked, regardless of where you park your vehicle and however brief it will be left unattended.

ENSURE you don’t leave valuables on display within the vehicle

ENSURE you don’t leave your vehicle documents within the vehicle overnight

When overseas, ALWAYS apply the steering lock and if possible an additional locking mechanism - it makes life more difficult for the thief and therefore your car is a less tempting target.
When overseas - If stationary in traffic, keep your doors locked and don't wind your windows too far down - someone could reach in and try to grab something off your passenger seat.
If leaving your m/cycle for an extended period (over 24hrs), try to lock it to something secure using secure chain/band locks
DO NOT leave items such as helmets or other valuable possessions hanging off the m/cycle, in the under-seat compartment or inside storage box. It takes very little effort to damage these types of locks.
If going on holiday, in addition to removing the contents of your under-seat compartment and storage box, consider removing the battery.
If your m/cycle is always/mostly used in Gibraltar, consider keeping your vehicles documents at home – Police allow 5 days for you to produce these documents if required.

Scooters and mopeds are often lighter than m/cycles and easy to steal if not parked securely, therefore, taking some additional precautions is beneficial.

Park in areas where there are lots of passers-by/onlookers who will see if anyone is tampering with your scooter.
DO NOT leave items such as helmets or other valuable possessions hanging off the m/cycle, in the under-seat compartment or inside storage box. It takes very little effort to damage these types of locks.
If the scooter is only used in Gibraltar, consider keeping your vehicles documents at home – Police will allow 5 days for you to produce these documents if required.

Advice for Boat Owners

It is important that you take the security of your boat as seriously as you would the security of your own home.

Thieves are attracted to all kinds of items on or in your boat. These could range from your outboard motor, life raft or expensive marine equipment. Thieves will also target radios, tools, personal items and even the vessel itself.

Having gone through considerable expense purchasing, equipping and maintaining your boat, it is important to make sure that your boat is secure and avoid becoming a victim of crime.

Thieves are always on the lookout for easy targets. Prior to leaving your boat unattended after use, a quick security check should be conducted by following these simple steps.

Never leave anything valuable on display, however small and insignificant it may seem. Thieves steal first and think about value later.
Always put any valuables into a strong, fixed locker and secure with a quality padlock.
Don’t leave anything loose in the cockpit or on deck.
Don’t leave your engine key in the ignition.
Always take personal/vessel documents with you – don’t leave them on board.
Make sure that your outboard motor is secure, as these are valuable and especially attractive to thieves.
Keep your boat’s keys separate from your engine keys.
Always keep your boat locked when no-one is on board, even if for a short time.
Use strong padlocks or rim-locks on all your hatches, entry points and cockpit lockers.
If you own a dinghy, always remove your oars or paddles, rowlocks or pump, and secure the dinghy with a strong chain and padlock.

Constantly check and improve the security on your boat. It’s a good idea to fit an alarm and use a visible sticker to alert that one is fitted. Make sure your cockpit lockers can be properly secured, and check that your main hatch and fore-hatch are strong. Also think about having a strongbox down below. If you don’t think something is secure, get it fixed.

If your boat or its contents are targeted, contact Police immediately and inform marina security or management. Check to make sure that your boat is still seaworthy and hasn’t been badly damaged. And, if you can, check that neighbouring boats haven’t been targeted as well.

Get to know other boat owners in your marina and work together to keep the marina secure.

Keep an eye on other boats, as well as your own.
Report any strangers at the marina to the harbour/yard master or security personnel.
Never provide marina access codes to outsiders.
Don’t let strangers into the marina, however genuine they may seem.
Keep marina gates closed at all times.

Keep a list of all the serial numbers of valuables such as your radio, navigation equipment or outboard motor. Keep a copy of this list at home and on your boat. This can help you, the Police and your insurance provider should you become a victim of crime.

We would like to take this opportunity to request the general public to report any person(s) seen acting suspiciously in any car park, motorcycle bay or marina to be reported to the RGP Command & Dispatch Unit on 20072500, or in the event of an Emergency, by dialling 199/112.

Look after one another and work in partnership with us to beat crime. Be a vigilant neighbour and report anything suspicious in your neighbourhood. All calls are dealt with in the strictest confidence.

The following information will be particularly useful to police when reporting on a suspicious individual(s).

· Gender (Male/Female)

· Height

· Complexion (e.g. Tanned, Fresh, etc)

· Build (e.g. Slim, Strong or Medium)

· Age (Approximate)

· Hair (e.g. Long/Short and Colour)

· Clothing (basic – Type/Colour of top and bottoms)