Operation Whistle Blower is a community created, led and financed safety solution. Using whistles live aboard boaters can alert each other of possible criminal activity on the towpath. It was born out of community concerns over the rise in incidents on the towpath. It developed out of a conversation I had with a boater after 3 men attempted to break-in his boat whilst he was on-board. It began with the men making noise and shaking his boat. They shined torches in his windows and tried to gain entry. It was very early in the morning and his mobile phone wasn't charged. He had no way to call for help or alert his neighbours. He took a chance and grabbed the nearest thing to a weapon he could find, came out shouting, and scared the men off his boat. I think the element of surprise worked in his favour. He then went back inside, secured the doors, and kept a vigil waiting for their possible return.
I met him a few days later and we began brainstorming options for communicating danger to our neighbours that would not rely on a constant power source. Our initial idea was for everyone to purchase rape alarms. I took this idea to a forum of boaters to discuss the practicalities and costs. A boater from the forum decided to take the initiative and purchased whistles out of his own pocket. A code of practice was created and flyers were made.
On 26 October 2013, a small group of us delivered whistles to Hackney Wick, Victoria Park, and \Broadway Market moored boats. These areas have reported the highest number of incidents. We asked for donations of 50p to £1 to purchase additional whistles and print more flyers if the boater was onboard. If no one was home, we left a whistle and flyer on the boat. A week or so later, we delivered up the Lee Navigation from Matchmaker's Wharf to the top of Springfield Park, and another boater did Tottenham's Stonebridge Lock area. A Canal and River Trust mooring ranger joined us on the Lee, helping to deliver whistles and introducing himself to boaters. CRT has recently purchased whistles to donate to the project and we will be expanding westward from Broadway Market to Little Venice and beyond!
After a rainy day of delivering whistles we adjourned to a pub on Lea Bridge Road and rewarded ourselves!
