Exciting working day: Watch out, inspection! On the road with the water police

"Your licence is not valid!" Enno Cassens' voice fills the saloon of the charter yacht "Thetis" to the very last corner. The water protector earns incredulous and slightly desperate looks from the crew - the Gsteu family from Regensburg can hardly believe their ears, and mum Gsteu is looking for something to hold on to. After a brief back and forth, Inspector Cassens asks with a grin whether her son would like to sign his SRC (Short Range Certificate) radio licence and make it valid. Relief spreads and the people involved laugh with restrained laughter as they finally digest the shock.

Read more from this series:

• Harbour master up close during Kiel Week
• Non-stop work as a boatswain on a museum ship
• Why a retired captain works as a lock keeper
• Dreams come true at the Sirius shipyard
• Students at the sailing boarding school give their all for the dream of the Olympics
• From the roll of cloth to the finished sail at the sailmaker's
• How a captain of the road transports yachts

We are on the Flensburg Fjord, the territory of Enno Cassens and his colleagues from the water police. They are on duty here every day and know their way around like hardly anyone else in the area. The police officers are out here day and night to ensure that everyone on the water complies with the applicable regulations so that everyone can travel safely.

On patrol with the "Seestern"

Today, the operation takes place with the "Seestern", a motorboat from the Hatecke company. It has two 900 hp Volvo engines with jet propulsion. This accelerates the almost 12 metre long boat up to 45 knots. During test runs, the official vessel is even said to have travelled at over 50 knots.

Police chief Lars Cziszkus is at the helm of the boat that the officers routinely use to patrol the fjord. The 54-year-old easily accelerates the rigid-hull inflatable boat to a speed of 40 knots. The sprung seat from which Cziszkus steers the "Seestern" is equipped with a four-point harness. "We could theoretically slow down to zero and come to a standstill within a boat length of 45 knots," says Cassens. "You can imagine the forces involved." The abrupt stopping of the boat is possible by reversing the jet propulsion. "However, this is not normally used in regular day-to-day operations," says Cziszkus.

During the inspection of the Bavaria 46 "Thetis", home port Breege, Cassens finds no anomalies. Lifejackets, life raft and ship's papers: everything is up to date with the current maintenance status. After a good 15 minutes and a souvenir photo for the Gsteu family, he leaves the charter ship again - as a memento of their first inspection by the water police, the holidaymakers take it up with the two water police officers.

Many roads lead to the water police

Enno Cassens is a keen sailor himself. In his spare time, the 57-year-old sails a Dragonfly 32, a trimaran that he and his wife use primarily as a cruising boat. In summer, their tours take them all over the Baltic Sea. His home harbour is Fahrensodde and the Flensburg Sailing Association, of which Cassens is now the secretary. He had previously been involved in youth training at his club for many years.

When Lars Cziszkus turns round while steering the "Seestern", he looks between the row of seats behind him at a black superstructure wall. For this reason, the Hatecke motorboats are equipped with a reversing camera that constantly transmits what is happening behind the boat to a display at the helm. This allows Cziszkus to follow what is happening aft.

Meanwhile, 33-year-old Chief Superintendent Justus Manthey holds down the fort at her station on land. Manthey belongs to a new generation in the waterway police (WSP). He knew long before his training that he wanted to work there one day. "I come from NRW, and it was clear to me early on that I wanted to ensure safety on the water," says the Herford native. He was recently promoted and appointed deputy station manager. However, working as a water police officer on the Rhine or other inland waterways was not an option for Manthey: "I really wanted to be a water police officer at sea. Nothing else was really an option for me." Because the waiting period after an eye operation in Schleswig-Holstein was shorter than for the federal police, he decided in favour of this career path.

Training includes a sailing course and additional qualifications

Manthey particularly enjoys the friendly behaviour at sea: "Of course, we have to deal with a different clientele on the water. People still greet us there," he says, referring to his training, during which he also worked at police stations on land, where the tone was rougher.

Enno Cassens has been with the police since 1994. Before that, he trained as a ship mechanic and went to sea during this time. "I still remember my mother driving me to Hamburg's free port in tears," Cassens recalls. The current inspector then spent four years in the German army and completed his vocational baccalaureate before applying to the police "for fun". This fun then turned serious. "Because of my training, I was asked if I wanted to join the water police. I said: 'Sure, I'll do that'. Trained ship mechanics were of course very welcome at the waterway police," says Cassens, looking back on his beginnings with the Schleswig-Holstein state police.

The training also included a 14-day sailing course. The prospective waterway police officer acquired the most important nautical knowledge in an additional course in Hamburg. Among other things, he received radio training, learnt about radar and everything else that is important at sea for the police service.

"It took a long time for my friends have accepted that they can also tell stories when I'm there. For a long time, I was notorious for being a tough dog. But that's no longer the case."

Enno Cassens was born in Flensburg, his mother was a teacher and his father a soldier. But he is by no means someone who has never left his home town. "In the years when I was still at sea, I saw the world," he recalls. That's why big cruises, for example to South America, don't really appeal to him today. "I think we sailors are simply spoilt, that we are so independent and free from everyone," says Cassens.

Personal safety first

When the water police set off to inspect sailing yachts, there are always at least two of them. Because even if the clientele to be checked is almost always friendlier than on land, they can never know what to expect on the ships. During their missions on the water, the police officers wear their protective waistcoats and service weapons, just like their colleagues on land. Cassens and his colleagues also always wear their automatic life jackets when boarding and travelling on the dinghy.

"Even on the water, our own safety comes first, of course," says Justus Manthey. What he also appreciates about working for the waterway police is that they are still allowed to investigate themselves. "While police officers in other departments hand the cases over to an investigation service at a certain point, we carry out all the necessary investigations into each case ourselves," says Manthey.

After checking on the Gsteu family, the waterway police on the "Seestern" lie in wait again. Using binoculars, they keep an eye out for potential new targets for their inspection. They now have their sights set on a privately used Hanse. But when Cassens realises which ship it is, he asks his colleague to turn away. "I was only on that ship a few weeks ago," says the expert on sailing yachts among the Flensburg water police.

"Because Enno is also involved in sailing in his free time, he has an extraordinary amount of knowledge, which benefits the WSP itself, but also us colleagues, of course," says his young supervisor, Deputy Station Manager Justus Manthey.

Waterway police also on the move at night

The next boat whose skipper is asked by Cassens to come alongside the police boat is a Bavaria 37. The crew of the "Uschi" are on their way to the charter base, where they want to return the boat. "We celebrated a golden wedding on board," says the skipper about his trip. And on board this boat, Cassens also finds no anomalies in the papers.

"Even though I don't have much to do with sailing in my free time, I still really enjoy my work as a water police officer. Working together with my colleagues is what makes it so special."

When asked whether he can completely put aside being a water police officer in his free time, Enno Cassens replies with a thoughtful undertone: "It actually took time for my sailing friends to accept that they can tell me certain stories despite my profession." However, he has always made it clear to his sailing mates that if alcohol is involved or oil is spilt, he "doesn't know any relatives", says Cassens.

If the situation requires it, the waterway police also deploy their boat at night for weekend duties such as this one. But even when they are not on duty at night, they collect a lot of overtime on weekends when they are on duty. "Today on Friday, for example, we're on duty from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and then go on call from home until 10 a.m. tomorrow. Then we come back to the station and are on duty until 10 pm, unless we've been on duty at night. On Sunday, we are on call again until 10 a.m., on duty until 10 p.m. and then on standby again until Monday morning," explains Cassens.

Weekend standby alternating with colleagues from Kappeln

This means that the officers spend at least 34 hours at the police station or on the water during an on-call weekend from Friday to Sunday alone. A short journey to work is an advantage. Fortunately, Enno Cassens lives not far from the police station. It only takes him six to seven minutes to get there by bike.

When Enno Cassens and his colleagues go out to inspect sailing yachts, they usually take their rubber dinghy. Today, however, the vessel equipped with a 150 hp engine is on duty at Kieler Woche. The Flensburg water police officers share their weekend duties with their colleagues in Kappeln. "That's why we can be as far away as Schleswig at this time of day, because we are responsible for the entire Schlei," says Cassens, "and of course for the entire Flensburg Fjord as far out as Gelting."

The waterway police perform their office duties at their station. The Flensburg Waterway Police station is located on the west side of the harbour at the Schiffbrücke bridge, right on the edge of the city centre. To get to your police vessel, you only have to cross the road once. This is where the berth is located, where Hatecke's motorboat is permanently moored in the water.

After casting off, it's a routine round of the entire harbour basin. Many of the owners of the pleasure craft moored at the numerous jetties are well acquainted with the police officers. Many of them wave to the patrolling officers. It seems as if they are happy to see the water police on their motorboat.

Waterway police want to show presence

For Cassens and Cziszkus, the trips across the Flensburg Fjord are primarily about being seen by pleasure boaters. On the one hand, they convey a feeling of safety, but on the other hand, they also fulfil a warning function because their visibility reminds them to follow the applicable rules.

Preparing for the mission is also routine for the men. They apply sun cream, carry provisions and, above all, plenty of water in their luggage. Their sunglasses, which they do not take off even when boarding a foreign ship for inspection, are designed to protect their eyes from UV radiation. A necessity with so much time on the water.

On the way, the water police spot two strikingly green kayaks. "They are part of the #GreenKayak project. It works in such a way that users can borrow kayaks free of charge," explains Cassens. And his colleague Cziszkus adds: "In return, however, they are required to fish rubbish out of the water if they see any along the way." The project is supported by Stadtwerke Flensburg and the Flensburg Technical Operations Centre.

Unfortunately, as in all other "blue light" professions, the waterway police often have to deal with emergency calls for which they are not the right contact. Even after patrolling the Flensburg Fjord, the phone rings at the waterway police station. It's Friday evening, 5.30 pm. "Cassens, Flensburg Waterway Police, what can I do for you?" the inspector answers. The caller reports a seagull on the Sonwik that appears to have a broken wing. "Unfortunately, I can't help you with that either," Cassens tells the caller curtly and ends the call.

It's his last official act for today. Tomorrow he and his colleagues will be back in action. Then they will continue to ensure safety and monitor that recreational boaters and professional sailors on the water comply with the law and that the ships all meet the latest standards, especially in terms of safety equipment. After all, everyone should return home from sea in good health.