Cuts to Thames police boats

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scoffey

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Hello,

We are running a story in our April issue on proposed cuts to the Marine Policing Unit on the Thames and we wanted to hear from Thames boaters on what you think of the cuts. Do you think a reduction of patrol boats would have an effect on the river? How concerned are you about a possible end to night patrols?

Please let us know and we'll include your responses in our April issue.

Sally coffey
News and features editor
Motor Boats Monthly
 
The Non Tidal Section that used to be covered by the Met up as far as Staines has not been patrolled for many years. Anything requiring a police presence on the non tidal is now with the cooperation of the EA and their boats. Other Forces may adopt the same approach along the non tidal. As for the tidal section it rather depends on how much reduction in patrols will be. For many years the only emergency cover on the Tidal was provided by the Police and LFB with a bit of assistance from PLA staff and boats. However we now have a very active RNLI presence on the River which must have taken over much of the lifesaving role.
River policing is an expensive cost center and with the exception of anti terrorist issues would not be high on Government priorities. The Police and PLA have never sat easily together so if the police need to save money they probably can in the MPU. I would rather see the cuts in the MPU than the Helicopter Unit.
 
MSU at Wapping patrols as far as Molesey , although it tends to be on a reactive basis rather than just random patrols as they are spread pretty thin.

We keep an MSU boat at Tedders ( we are 24hrs manned , so it can be left there as we provide the security for it ) , the boat is called the Robin Locker , and is less than a year old.

They will venture above Molesey if needed , although I was led to believe that the Surrey / Met boundary was Thames Ditton.
 
teddington_lock said:
MSU at Wapping patrols as far as Molesey , although it tends to be on a reactive basis rather than just random patrols as they are spread pretty thin.

We keep an MSU boat at Tedders ( we are 24hrs manned , so it can be left there as we provide the security for it ) , the boat is called the Robin Locker , and is less than a year old.

They will venture above Molesey if needed , although I was led to believe that the Surrey / Met boundary was Thames Ditton.
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Kingston is Met and Thames Ditton Marina is Surrey so somewhere in that 1/2 mile of river is the boundary. Before the re-organisation some years back the Met used to cover up to Staines Bridge.
 
teddington_lock said:
Presumably that was something to do with the old City of London boundary ?
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Yes. It was all to do with the Boundaries under the jurisdiction of the latest incarnation of the Mayor of London, currently Boris, who has
responsibility for funding/policy for the policing of the London Boroughs. Those areas not geographically designated as part of a London Borough were given up.
In our area Esher and Cobham police Stations once part of Met controlled Kingston Operational Command Unit went to Surrey.
In the same way Heathrow OCU which included Staines and West Drayton Police stations had to give up Staines as it was not part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.
 
Haven't seen one for years on the upper reaches will we notice? They are not going to stop stuff getting nicked, loads of thefts of outboards recently.
 
I don't know if its still the case but there was certainly a problem recognising river crime because of the way incidents were recorded. If you reported a crime relating to your boat or the river it was apparently recorded against your home post code. As most of us live nowhere near the river there was no way of seeing what the real river related crime statistics are.
 
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