Marine Policing Unit
The Marine Policing Unit (MPU) is the waterborne policing unit of London's
In 1839 the Marine Police Force was merged into the Metropolitan Police as the Thames Division. It held that name until being renamed the Marine Support Unit in 2001 and taking on its present name seven years later. The unit is still headquartered at Wapping, where a former carpenters' workshop also houses the River Police Museum, founded in 1974 and now curated by John Joslin and Rob Jeffries, two former officers with the unit.[1][2][3]
Area of responsibility
Originally focusing on the Pool of London, since the 19th century it has had responsibility for the 47 miles of the Thames between
Ranks
Before 1839 the River Police held the ranks of 3rd, 2nd and 1st Inspector due to the special powers invested to Inspectors on the river by legislation regarding the boarding of vessels on the Thames. These ranks were retained when the River Police became Thames Division, uniquely among Metropolitan Police divisions and taking the place of Sergeants or Station Sergeants in the Metropolitan Police's other divisions. 3rd Class Inspectors were ranked and paid as Sergeants in the rest of force, 2nd Class Inspectors as Station Sergeants and 1st Class Inspectors as substantive Inspectors. These ranks were replaced by normal Metropolitan Police ranks in 1903, though for many years after that date Thames Division officers are still ranked on their service sheets using these old Inspector ranks.
History
1839-1945
In 1839 the
Wapping and a number of ex-navy hulks were the Division's only bases until 1874, when it opened a station at Waterloo Police Pier (now Tower Lifeboat Station). A second land station was built further east at Blackwall in 1893 using land freed up from the General Steam Navigation Company's cattle wharf at Coldharbour - it was a three-storey building comprising cells, accommodation and a boat-launch. In 1907 the present Wapping station was built.
1945-present
Post-war Thames Division commemorated its founders with police vessel names including the supervision launches John Harriott (1947-1963) and Patrick Colquhoun (1963-2003), and Targa duty boats in use, the John Harriott and the Gabriel Franks.[5]
Due to the decline of the docks at Canary Wharf in the late 20th century, the Blackwall River Police Station was closed in the 1970s and converted to residential properties in 1982.[6] In November 1978, Thames Division became a specialist unit under the direct command of Assistant Commissioner "A".
On 20 August 1989 the
In August 2020 funding was approved by the Mayor of London for the replacement of the 6 fast patrol vessels in use with the MPU - this would be 1 of the larger Command and Control Vessels and 5 Fast Patrol Vessels.[7]
The new vessels were delivered in a phased program with them being commissioned between January 2022 and March 2023.[8]
The Fast Patrol Vessels are all Targa 32's and the new Command and Control Vessel is another Targa 37.
Vessel name | MPS Code | Commissioning Date | |
---|---|---|---|
Sir Robert Peel III | MP9 | January 2022 | |
Gabriel Franks III | MP3 | Spring 2022 | |
Nina McKay III | MP4 | August 2022 | |
John Harriott V | MP7 | Summer 2022 | |
Peter Kruger (command vessel) | MP15 | November 2022 | |
Tim Ruprecht | MP2 | March 2023 |
References
- ^ "Thames Police Museum". Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ "The Tidal Thames - Meet Rob Jeffries". 4 August 2019.
- ^ Tom Chesshyre, From Source to Sea: Notes from a 215-Mile Walk Along the River Thames (Summersdale Publishers: London, 2018), Chapter 9
- ^ History of the Marine Support Unit accessed 7 Feb 2007 Archived 16 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Thames Police Museum Photo Gallery and Patrick Colquhoun Launches – The Silver Role. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
- ^ "Southern Blackwall: Coldharbour | British History Online".
- ^ "Supply of Replacement Marine Vessels | London City Hall". 3 August 2020.
- ^ https://twitter.com/MattTwistMPS/status/1634322737522003970 [bare URL]
External links
- Media related to Marine Policing Unit at Wikimedia Commons