A GUIDE TO FISHING SECURITY - Part 2
More prevention - personalise it!
Thieves mostly steal tackle to sell, so if you take the time to personalise your gear then not only do you make it less desirable to thieves in the first place but you stand a greater chance of recovering it should you have it stolen. There are many ways of personalising your gear and here are just a few I've used in the past.
Personalised luggage can help to deter thieves
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Luggage can be personalised by the way of embroidery or badges, if either are removed you can tell where the stitching has been, it is obvious. I have a set of Trakker carp luggage that the nice man who owns Trakker got his machinists to personalise for me whilst I worked in the tackle trade. Now I know that this is a little self indulgent and egotistical but would anyone buy luggage with someone else's name on it? Very unlikely.
Anything metal can be engraved or have your postcode or name scratched into it. If you have one of those Dremmel multi-tools or something similar put it good use.
Permanent marker pen can be used to mark up anything else, such as tackle boxes, bait boxes, stoves, rod tubes, even small items such as bait needles, lures, mini boxes, float tubes, catapults, etc. Small items only need your initials on them, and it saves on arguments when your fishing companions 'borrow' items which end up never being returned. Rods can have your name painted on them, a quick coat of varnish after is all takes to seal it their for eternity, again if its removed it is obvious. In years gone by when hand built custom rods were the rage nearly everyone had their names on the their rods, it would be nice if tackle shops offered the service for off the shelf gear as well. Even my nets have their rims or spreader blocks marked up with my initials or postcode.
Just a simple permanent marker can help
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If you can't stand the thought of defacing your tackle then get an Ultra Violet pen and use that. UV pens can be obtained for free through most large Police Stations or your local crime prevention officer. Every piece of untraceable or suspected stolen property that comes into our station gets checked under a UV light or for identifying marks, if it's marked you'll get it back, if not it will end up at auction.
Vehicles
Its quite simple when it comes to vehicles; if you leave your tackle in a motor on display and out of your sight then be prepared to lose it. It takes about four seconds for a practiced thief to smash a window and drag your gear out and into a waiting car. A vehicle gets broken into about every 30 seconds in the UK, though you'll be pleased to hear the figure is getting better, probably be about every 45 seconds next year (there you go, you'll all sleep safe in your beds now!).
No car park is secure, CCTV makes no difference to the crime rate on car parks as they just cover their faces and use false plates on their motors. Just don't leave your gear unattended in the first place and you won't have a problem. Tackle thieves target car parks where anglers park, this also includes pub car parks where we go for a drink after or where pre match draws are held, also café's and lay-by's. Also remember that if you are fishing they know you aren't going to return to your motor for hours, so don't leave anything else tempting on display. Leave your glove box open and your parcel shelf off, if they can see that there's nothing in your boot or glove box worth nicking it will save you £60 excess getting the window replaced they smashed to have a look.
Park your car somewhere it is easily noticeable to the public, even if it means walking an extra 20, 30 or even 100 yards, they don't like being seen, because if they can be seen they can be caught. That little extra walk can save your day being ruined.
Some people feel safer at commercial waters as it's all anglers together and the car parks seem more secure. Well, I wish that was true. Again the car parks are targeted and it's sad to say but a good many tackle thieves are anglers or have been anglers themselves, so they know where to look. Often they will sit on pub, café or fishery car parks waiting for an opportunity, so if you feel the impulse to walk the stretch or lake to do some fish spotting before picking a peg, load up or fill the barrow and take your gear too.
Some bright spark has come up with a device that somehow detects the residual electrical fields given off by electrical items, meaning a thief can walk past your car and tell if there is a laptop etc in the boot. How commonly used these items are by thieves is a matter for speculation at the moment and I personally have yet to see one on the streets, but I am told that even when turned off a set of digital alarms or camera send out a signal just as strong as a laptop. So if it's valuable, take it with you to the waterside or leave it at home.
Knives, machete's, baseball bats (and other easy ways to get a free night's B & B at your local blue brick)
People carry the most illegal assortment of items in the name of self defence. From a legal point of view anything carried in a public place that is stated as being for 'self defence' will get you arrested. Just to show the extremities, if you walked to the cash point with your vehicles crook lock in your hand 'just in case' anyone attacked you when you were getting your money out you would be committing an arrestable offence. If you were attacked whilst getting into your car and your crook lock was to hand and you used it to beat off your attacker then no offence is committed as this is reasonable force used in self defence, there is no premeditation in the use of the crook lock.
Don't get yourself arrested through carrying items like these
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Lock knives with a blade of over 3.5” are illegal no matter what, and lets face it what do you need a razor sharp knife with a large blade for in fishing terms? The only scenario I can think of is a filleting knife.
The best knife to carry is in the form of a Swiss Army Knife or a Leatherman multi tool. Excellent bits of kit and perfectly legal, and will cover every knife scenario in fishing. Those who carry anything else in the supposed name of fishing could end up in a cell. Lets face it, if an unshaven bloke dressed in his best 'tribal' or 'Realtree' camouflage gear is found in possession of an 8” hunting/survival knife is he a fisherman on his way to get some fags after his latest session who forgot the knife was in its quick release sheath on his belt, or is your local copper going to think he is a crazed potential serial killer with an military obsession? It's going to be the later isn't it.
The same goes for Machetes, how many people have had to cut out their own swim on a commercial water or on the latest barbel hotspot? if you carry one you will most likely be arrested, so best not to then.
But what if …X,Y & Z…. happened, I hear you all cry. We all have thought through the scenario of being attacked whilst fishing alone and what we would do? Well, I'm never more than two feet away from a Spiral point bankstick which I legitimately carry for holding fishing equipment in place whilst fishing. Get the idea?
Final Four Tips
The first is quite simple,: spread all your gear out on the living room floor or back garden and photograph the lot, then put the photos somewhere safe. This is your proof to the insurance loss adjuster that you really did have thousands of pounds worth of gear should the unthinkable happen.
Secondly, the next time you renew your household cover, check you're covered for the amount of gear you have and where you keep it, if not, get covered.
Thirdly, I hate mobile phones, people get them stolen creating me lots of work, and people and the missus can moan at me wherever I am, but only an idiot would go fishing without one nowadays. It simply could be the difference between life and death on the bank, so always carry one and make sure your battery is full as well.
Lastly, if you have to think twice about fishing somewhere because you might fall foul of the criminal fraternity, is it really worth going there, no-matter what you might catch? When I was a kid I used to fish Salford park in the shadow of the spaghetti junction and used to catch some great carp and tench. I wouldn't go there now without armed support!
It is impossible to cover every scenario when it comes to crime, and to cover everything would take a weekly year long series of articles, but if there is anything to do with fishing security you think I've missed and can't sleep at night without knowing the answer, stick it on the forum and I will do my best for you, and if I don't know the answer straight away I've got a shelf full of law books next to me that do.
In the words of Crime Watch - “Don't have nightmares”
Jonny
