"Pirates of Portsmouth Harbour" captured by MoD police after wooden boat sinks

Two people were arrested by Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) this morning. Officers received reports of the individuals “trying to cross Portsmouth Harbour in a potentially stolen wooden boat”.

“Unfortunately for the two individuals, the boat they had chosen wasn’t the most sea worthy and started taking on quite a lot of water very quickly,” Gosport Police reported on Facebook. “The couple soon got into difficulty and had to be rescued by our colleagues from the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) who had luckily noticed them trying to cross the harbour.

“If they hadn’t already, both of them definitely had a sinking feeling when they saw us waiting for them on the other side. Both parties were detained for a search and their details taken. Medical attention was given before the two very unhappy, soggy, cold and would-be Pirates of Portsmouth Harbour, were escorted away.

Gosport Police said enquiries into the incident are ongoing. The force is trying to identify the owner of the boat. “It goes without saying that Portsmouth Harbour is a very busy and dangerous working harbour and presents a very real risk to life,” Gosport Police said. “These two are very lucky that the MDP vessel managed to spot them otherwise things could have turned out very differently. Under no circumstances is it safe to try and cross the harbour yourself to try and save the ferry or taxi fare.”