Officers have no need for speed as they chase stolen barge 13 miles
LIFE on the canals is generally deemed to be life in the slow lane – hardly the scene for a police “chase”.
But a narrow boat stolen from its moorings at 6am on Saturday was apprehended by police after a “career first” 13-mile police pursuit down a canal thanks to the quick thinking of fellow boat owners.
Chris Tomlinson, a trials pilot who purchased the Elusive No.1 just 18 months ago, endured a stressful few hours after discovering that his family’s “pride and joy” had been stolen.
He was at his home in Lancashire on Saturday when he discovered that the boat had been taken from its mooring at North Kilworth Marina in Leicestershire almost 150 miles away.
“I checked my email at 8am and had an alert saying that the boat had been disconnected from the electric,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “I didn’t think much of it, so just emailed the marina to ask if there had been a power cut.”
He got a shock when the manager contacted him to say that his boat had “gone out” at around 6am.
As Mr Tomlinson called the police, he was told that one of the other boat owners, who lives on the marina, had heard the boat’s engine at dawn and, thinking it suspicious, got up to take a photograph as it glided away. The marina’s management team watched CCTV footage to determine the direction the boat had gone in. Realising it was headed south, they worked out roughly where it would be three hours later and headed to lie in wait.
Mr Tomlinson contacted the Canal and River Trust, whose volunteers man the Watford Locks on the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal, to tell them his boat was headed their way.
Meanwhile, Leicestershire Police visited the marina, where they were shown photographs and information on the vessel. The information was also circulated amongst members of the canal boat community. Those who spotted it realised the name and registration number had been painted over. Officers
‘Well, they say that you never know what to expect. In a landlocked force we have pursued a barge. One in custody’
caught up with the boat and called Mr Tomlinson to confirm the description before the suspect “surrendered on sight”. The force posted on social media: “In a career first and following a 13 mile ‘follow’ we completed a hard stop on a stolen canal boat.”
Simon Cole, Leicestershire chief constable, wrote on Twitter: “Well, they say that you never know what to expect. In a landlocked force we have pursued a barge. One in custody.”
Mr Tomlinson said by chance, one of the officers knew how to drive a boat and had guided it to the nearest lock.
“All credit to the police. But it’s also testament to the camaraderie amongst the canal boat community. Everyone knows everyone on the canals and the people are so friendly,” he said. “People went out of their way to spot my boat and help get it back.”
Mr Tomlinson said the vessel, which he lives on part of the week for work, had some damage from being “bashed” and its name had been painted over. He found an empty beer bottle in his bed and a vodka bottle in the sink, leaving him feeling “violated” in a way similar to that when a house had been burgled.
Leicestershire Police said Ian Silman, 46, from Blackpool, had been charged with the theft of a narrow boat. He is also charged with taking a conveyance without consent and causing criminal damage to the boat.
He is due to appear at Leicester magistrates’ court on Nov 27.
‘It’s testament to the camaraderie amongst the canal boat community. Everyone knows everyone on the canals, people are so friendly’
induction cables on the ground.
The Nofence system does not require agricultural workers to lay wires, instead creating virtual fences on their smartphones. These boundaries can be redefined if and when a landowner wishes to change them.
Farmers are sent a notification when animals stray outside their boundaries, and they can also track the movement of their herds on the app.
The collars are powered by the solar panels attached to them.
Natural England said it was monitoring the trial to identify what grazing and safety benefits it can provide. It will also investigate whether the devices comply with animal welfare standards.
In August 2018, the Government announced it would ban the sale of shock collars for cats and dogs in England.
Michael Gove, environment secretary at the time, said the collars, which can deliver up to 6,000 volts of electricity or spray noxious chemicals to control animals’ behaviour, caused unacceptable “harm and suffering”.