Texas a Top State for Watercraft Thefts: NICB

While the number of watercraft thefts continued on a downward trend in 2014, Texas remains one of the five top states in which such thefts are likely to occur. Texas ranks third for watercraft thefts, behind Florida and California, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), which annually reports on watercraft theft and recoveries in the United States.

In late September, NCIB released a report that examines watercraft reported stolen between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2014. The data used in the report is from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In the United States overall, there were 5,181 watercraft thefts reported during 2014, a 6 percent decrease from 2013 when 5,537 thefts were recorded. This is the second year in a row that watercraft thefts have dropped by 6 percent; the number of thefts in 2012 was 5,870.

No watercraft thefts were reported from Hawaii or the District of Columbia, the NICB reported.

On average, there were approximately 14 watercraft thefts per day, 100 per week, or 432 per month in 2014. Most thefts occurred during the spring and summer months with July recording the highest number with 667. February had the fewest with 223.