Every year, boat engines with an estimated value of SEK 300 million are stolen in Sweden.
International leagues account for around 98 percent of boat engine thefts and often the stolen goods have left the country before the owner notices that it has been stolen.
- The leagues are professionals.
Most are men between the ages of 25-45 with a criminal past.
They often have contact persons in Sweden who have already fixed housing and cars and seen which places they should steal the boat engines from, says Rino Carlsson, national coordinator for maritime-related attacks with the police.
Cooperation reduces theft
But despite the fact that thefts are a big problem, especially in Stockholm, the trend is still that they are decreasing.
Rino Carlsson believes that the reason for the reduction is the cooperation between boat owners, the boat industry and the Police.
- We are on the right track.
In addition, manufacturers have begun to take responsibility and work with anti-theft measures such as invisible ID markings on the engines - which helps to counteract the theft leagues, he says.
Watch in the video The police hunt for two boat thieves from Lithuania.