Several new trends 2025 • Professional leagues behind the thefts • Police’s best tips
Every year, boats in Sweden are stolen for multimillion amounts – and according to the police, the thieves have developed new strategies.
Often large professional leagues are behind the thefts and part of the theft is found abroad.
– You see more and more that boats are stolen when they are on land, says Rino Carlsson, who is the national coordinator for the Maritime Police Boat Cooperation.
Boats and boat parts are stolen annually for multimillion amounts in Sweden. According to the police, the thefts are gaining momentum as spring approaches, but winter has also become an increasingly common period for the thieves. In addition, there are more and more new trends and strategies at the thieves this year, according to Rino Carlsson.
– It is very varied where and how to steal boats in Sweden, but you see more and more that boats are stolen when they are on land and now even in the winter, he says in News Morning.
New trends
Every year, boat engines and other valuable equipment disappear for huge sums. The most attractive is the boat engines, which according to Rino Carlsson are often sold further abroad. He also says that chart plots have become a growing target for criminals, especially in Västra Götaland. The advanced navigation systems can be worth from SEK 50,000 to SEK 150,000.
– They are very expensive and difficult to remove, they are not made in the way that they can be taken out of all the time.
In 2017, the police decided to work more systematically with boat cooperation. During a period, the thefts fell, but now the development has turned upwards again. Last year, 1,063 stolen boat engines were reported at a total value of SEK 125 million, and the forecast for 2025 points to corresponding levels.
Professional leagues behind the thefts
The police have also discovered that professional foreign leagues are often behind some of the thefts. The theft appears in countries such as Romania, Poland and Lithuania, where local authorities cooperate with the Swedish police.
– It is Swedish stolen goods that have ended up in other countries that we will take back, says Rino Carlsson.
At the beginning of the year, the Police Authority decided to deepen its efforts against international crime.
– These are large professional leagues that move cross -border, it is a business and they have a certain preference for this particular type of theft, he says.
How to protect yourself against boat theft
1. Get involved in boat cooperation
– You should get involved in boat cooperation if you have the opportunity. It is not easy to protect yourself, but you have to start looking at the problem picture and map it.
2. Use the environment to your advantage
– The simple things are sometimes the ones that have the greatest effect. Sometimes the boat stands like a shop window so it is easy to just take. If you want to make it difficult for the perpetrator, you can find a lot that makes it very difficult for them.
3. Label your boat and engine
– It is great if you do so you know who the engines belong to.
4. Boat cards
Since we have no boat register, it is very important to keep track of what you own, if you make a police report, there should be conditions for the border authority in other countries to be able to stop them here.