Safety from thieves: Engraving action by the police on Lake Starnberg

Police officers (from left) Sandra Lang, Mike Kornstedt and Matthias Janousch have engraved a number on boat engines free of charge to protect against theft – as is the case with Felix Haas from Bernried, for example. © Andrea Jaksch

With an engraving campaign at the German Touring Yacht Club, the police want to ensure security on Lake Starnberg.

Tutzing – It was a complete success, both for boat owners on Lake Starnberg, the water police and the German Touring Yacht Club (DTYC) in Tutzing. Together with Pantaenius Yachtversicherungen and the DTYC, three officers from the Starnberg police station engraved a total of 10 boat engines and other nautical objects with individual numbers free of charge on Saturday from 14 a.m. to 42 p.m.

The reason for this preventive measure: According to the police, the number of theft offences from and on pleasure boats on Lake Starnberg has increased significantly. In the past, there have been series of outboard thefts in which only non-engraved engines were stolen. "I think we're the only club that hasn't been broken into yet. The caretaker lives here directly on the premises," says Thilo Durach from the DTYC. "But theft is really a problem at the lake. In order to get to the engine, the perpetrators sometimes saw entire parts off the boat."

In recent years, manufacturers of outboard motors have switched to simply sticking on the engine number, which is easy to remove or counterfeit, according to the police. This is precisely why the campaign is so important. "It wasn't just members of the DTYC who were there, many boat owners came across the water, others brought the engine by car," says Durach.