As you may or may not be aware, over the last 6 months or so there has been a significant rise in the number of crimes along the canal ranging from criminal damage to thefts and burglaries. The idea of this scheme is not only to try to deter the crime by raising public awareness by putting articles in the press and putting signage up, but also to keep yourselves, the boat owners up to date with crimes or other relevant information such as crime prevention advice or even results that would be of use or interest to you.

A system has been set up whereby text messages can be sent on mass with this information in to all the boat owners who have registered with this scheme. The idea being that for example if there has been a theft of diesel from a boat in Garstang, a text can instantly be sent out to all the registered boat owners in the area, alerting them to this so that they can then make sure that their boat is secure.

Garstang Police Canal Watch has now been renamed Lancaster Canal Watch

The Canal Watch area covers the canal from the very top end of the canal (Carnforth Area) down to the end of our section which is Station Lane at Barton.

The reason it currently doesn’t go beyond Barton is because it then leaves our policing division and becomes Preston Division. Hopefully this will be rolled out to Preston Division in the future and so it will then cover the canal all the way to the Ribble Link. People from beyond Barton are still asked to join.

Currently there are a few posters dotted around between Ratcliffe Warf at Forton and Owd Nells at Bilsborrow and the text messaging system is in place and already working. It is planned to place Canal Watch signs along the towpath and to have window stickers for boats, which hopefully will act as a deterrent. Once these have been made a text will be sent saying that they will be available from Garstang Police Station, but as you can appreciate this will be some time in the future.

CANAL WATCH IS COMPLETELY FREE

TO REGISTER PLEASE CALL THE NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE TEAM VOICEMAIL

Tel: 01995 607869

With your Name, Boat Name, Mooring and Mobile Telephone Number

or call in at the Police Station, Moss Lane, Garstang

You will receive a text confirming your registration

To report an incident telephone 01524 463333 or if urgent 999