FEATURE


MARITIME CODE


National plans to boost marine policing underway


Work is underway to strengthen maritime policing and evidence the need for more funding in this specialist area.


Marine policing has officially been in


existence for more than 200 years, with the first unit being the Thames River Police which was founded in 1798 by the West India Committee to protect the West Indian trade passing through the Port of London. Predating the Metropolitan Police by 21


years, it is recognised by UNESCO as the longest continuously serving police force in the world, existing today as the Met’s Marine Policing Unit. There are now 17 force marine units in England and Wales, excluding the Ministry of Defence, and most “double hat” and, as such, are unable to spend much time on the water. However, the changing nature of crime and an increase in the political interest of border security has shone a light on the maritime domain. Assistant Chief Constable James Nye,


National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) maritime policing lead, told POLICE magazine, there is a limited maritime policing capability in the UK as chief constables are “rightly more concerned in safeguarding communities and responding to issues such as violence against women”. He commented: “Some of the high-


profile events over the last 18 months, such as potential maritime disorder following Brexit last January, and, more recently, the Jersey fishing dispute, G7 in Cornwall, plus the Nave Andromeda incident and migrants crossing the Channel in small boats have shown we do need to put greater thought into how we police our local waters.” ACC Nye, who is also responsible for the diving portfolio, is in the process of creating national standards to ensure all marine teams work to the same standards and are interoperable across the UK, in a


similar vein to that in the firearms world. There are around 230 maritime officers


across the Home Office forces in England and Wales, with just the Met having a full- time team. When asked about budget cuts, ACC Nye acknowledged many specialist operational assets, such as dog units, have been reduced over the years, but is hopeful there is scope to expand marine units, balanced against operational needs in other areas.


“It is good to see our maritime


colleagues are finally being credited for the sheer range of work they do both inland and ofshore with the skills they have got as it’s a unique policing environment.”


Police Federation of England and


Wales’ Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons Lead Steve Hartshorn, who sits on the Operational Policing Sub-Committee is keen to put maritime policing on the map. He recently attended a NPCC meeting to support the ongoing work to bolster the niche, but important, area. “I feel maritime policing is an area that gets overlooked as it’s predominately just seen as underwater searching – which, of course, is vital with highly-skilled divers doing an incredible job – but there is so much more to it than that,” explained Steve. “They have been integral to coastal policing for years and have had a huge footprint of extra work including G7 and COP26. “There are also some massive areas


to concentrate on in terms of counter- terrorism, coastal crime, burglaries during high season and campaigns to tackle the


Patrolling our waters.


issue of people drinking and driving boats.” In October 2020, maritime officers


from Hampshire Police responded to a mayday call from the Nave Andromeda in the English Channel after it was suspected that seven stowaways were going to highjack the oil tanker. Working with the military, they were


able to safely and swiftly bring the 10-hour stand-off to an end and detain them. Steve continued: “As an island, it is


very important we have the capability to protect our coastal waters, inland lakes and reservoirs by deterring and detecting crime. “Marine officers have a unique skillset.


Once you go off into water it’s a different environment to police, which includes boat-handling skills, diving, and having knowledge of not just the law on land, but also being well-versed in maritime laws when policing the seas or waterways. “It is good to see our maritime


colleagues are finally being credited for the sheer range of work they do both inland and offshore with the skills they have got as it’s a unique policing environment.”


Assistant Chief Constable James Nye (right), the Maritime Policing Lead with Steve Hartshorn (left).


37 I POLICE I DECEMBER 2021


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