COLL THE COPS
Thieves steal £1k of heating oil and officer from neighbouring Tiree is asked to probe
The first serious crime for 25 years on the remote Hebridean isle of Coll has left its 200 residents stunned.
Thieves sneaked into a guest house to nick 800 litres of high-value heating oil worth more £1000.
Crime on the island, where local resident and author Mairi Hedderwick based her Katie Morag children’s books, is virtually unknown. So much so that Coll – which is 13 miles long and four miles wide – has no police officer of its own.
Coll residents last week admitted they were hard-pressed to remember the last crime on the island.
Jul ian Senior, secretary of Col l Community Counci l, said: “We are fortunate in that we live in a part of the world where everyone knows each other.
“Coll is a very remote location and it would be very hard to get the oil off the island.
“Because we do not have a police officer on Coll, the island is selfregulated and people respect each other.
“A bicycle has been left outside the local church since the summer and no one has touched it.”
Artist Kip Poulson, who has lived on Coll for 30 years, added:ed: “Cr ime is a lmostost unheard of on Coll.
“No one locks their doors.
“You can’t do anything here withoutout someone knowing about it.
Julie Oliphant
“Nobody locks their house or takes es the keys out of their car.
“I can leave my wallet with a £1000 0 on the bar and no one would touch it.” ”
The theft was discovered on January y 12 and took place at guest house Tigh h Na Mara in Arinagour, a village with a population of just 90.
The owner declined to comment. Heating oil is used widely in remote communities like Coll to heat homes because access to gas is limited.
The price has soared in the past yearr to
STILL more mor than £ 1 a litre, making it attractive at to thieves and creating a black bl market.
The last theft of heating oil on the th island was 25 years ago when 2500 250 litres were taken.
The Th theft is being investigated by a coconstable from the neighbouring island isla of Tiree who has to travel over to CColl by ferry.
Julie Ju Oliphant, who owns the island’s Coll Hotel, said: “We don’t really have crime. crime Nothing happens here.”
Coll Col residents include former Scotland rugby captain Rob Wainwright, who has a farm on the island, where he lives with his wifewi and four children. Any kind of crime is almost unheard of on the island. In 2017, a 38-year-old man was arrested in connection with an assault and vandalism and in 2011 a public toilet was vandalised, causing £20 of damage.
Police Scotland have appealed for help in tracking down the oil thief.
A spokeswoman said: “We received a report of the theft of heating oil from the Arinagour area of the Isle of Coll, which is believed to have taken place between September 2022 and January 2023.
“Inquiries are ongoing and anyone with information should contact police on 101.
“A l t e r n a t i v e l y , pl e a s e call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you wish to remain anonymous.”