An illustrated talk by Paul Jacobs

The Metropolitan Police Marine Policing Unit is responsible for policing 47 miles of the River Thames from Dartford to Hampton Court. Not only that, they also provide cover for 250 miles of canals, lakes and reservoirs in the London area. Its remit is to detect and prevent crime, maintain public order, help to keep London safe and respond to calls where a water hazard exists.

Paul is a member of the Marine Policing Unit and will give us a brief history of policing the River, describe the equipment employed, types of crime and emergencies encountered, notable events in the recent past and, as no job is without humour, maybe some of the more amusing events that he has experienced.

[The photo, by Adrian Pingstone, shows ‘The Gabriel Franks’, a Fast Response Targa 31 boat of the Metropolitan Police Marine Policing Unit, named after ‘a lumper’ employed by the Marine Police killed in 1798, regarded as the first British marine police officer to be killed in the line of duty.]