Category: Police > Boats

Towing a rib

Regional Marine Unit

Metropolitan Police launch in action on the River Thames

Cumbria Constabulary Cheetah Marine launch used on Lake Windermere

Four powerful motors propel the craft The unit at speed

A Yorkshire and the Humber Land Rover Defender used for underwater searches

A Yorkshire and the Humber Mercedes truck used for underwater and specialist searches The overhead view

A second shot

The Met Police have a number of these black fast intervention ribs for use on the Thames. A closer look.

Hampshire Constabulary operate this black Ribcraft eight-seater boat.

Dorset Police used this jet ski to patrol the Weymouth coastline during the Olympic events held there in 2012. It is fitted with small blue flashing lights.

A company called Air Sea Land Group have designed and built this demonstration police boat. It is designed to bridge the gap between smaller boats that can easily by towed behind a van and those that are larger and stay on the water all of the time. This boat has twin hulls that fold in to make it narrow enough to be towed on the roads. In the photograph, only one side has been folded in. A look down the port side of the vessel showing the police markings.

Accompanying a Devon & Cornwall Land Rover is police boat Solitaire. Sister vessel Rosy in use. Also shown is a closer view of the high visibility wording on the vessels, showing the partnership between the police and the Environment Agency. A third sister vessel called Mor Teg.

Commander is a twin-hulled vessel that is operated by Hampshire Police. Notice the crane on the rear to launch and retrieve the rib.

Ministry of Defence boat Excalibur is seen here moored in central London. Also shown is the rear view of the vessel and rib. Both have two blue flashing lights affixed.

Here a Met Police launch travels at speed on a demonstration run with various police staff aboard. Also shown is the rear view of the vessel without the additional passengers.

This boat is planned to be built by Lochin Marine for Hampshire. The computer generated image shows a catamaran called a Lochin SB1100 or Lochin SB1200 (11m or 12m). The actual boat should be ready by mid-2012.

This boat is planned to be built by Lochin Marine for Hampshire. The computer generated image shows a Lochin 366 Police Launch (11m) or Lochin 40 Police Launch (12m). The real boat should be ready by mid-2012.

Nina Mackay II is a launch used by the Met police on the River Thames. It carries blue and yellow battenburg markings and is assigned code MP7. Nina Mackay was a Met police officer that was killed by someone she was trying to arrest in 1997.

The Met Police operate this black rigid inflatable boat. It can carry 12 officers seated at high speed down the Thames. Notice the two blue multi-direction flashing LEDs on the rear framework.

Here a Hampshire Police launch is made to look like a toy by the dominating Queen Elizabeth cruise liner.

This is an Iveco Eurocargo that is run by West Yorkshire Police as an underwater and specialist search unit. It carries all of the necessary equipment and facilities for police divers. The rear view showing the rear entry door. Small blue flashing leds are placed around the bodywork, as well as white scene lighting.

This Police boat is built by Mac Boats from New Zealand. Due to the unique construction of the hull, the boat is claimed to be virtually indestructible and unsinkable.

This is a Met Police boat MP1 Patrick Colquhoun. It is the largest type of launch that the service use and is seen here at its unit headquarters with the towers of Canary Wharf seen in the background. Patrick Colquhoun was the founder of the Thames River Police in 1798.

This land Rover Defender 90 is a 1996 vehicle that was still in used by the Met Police's Marine Unit in 2009. It is fitted with a winch on the front and the standard Met livery.

This is a Strathclyde Police launch which was a familiar site on the Clyde before being sold. It was last spotted in Portishead, converted to a sight seeing boat.

This is a MOD Police launch called James Dalton spotted near Faslane.

This is a Ministry of Defence boat based in Scotland.

MP5 is a Metropolitan Police launch, seen here at their Wapping base.

This is a Vauxhall Brava 4x4 that is attached to the Met Police's Marine Policing Unit. The vehicle carries the pre-2008 name; the Marine Support Unit. The rear view of the same Brava, showing warning signs for the substances carried.

This is a Ford Cargo that has been specially converted into an Underwater Search Unit for Grampian Police. The rear view of the same truck, showing the access to the rear compartment.

This is police launch MP7 used by the Metropolitan Police on the River Thames.

This is one of West Yorkshire Police's underwater search units. Shown is a Land Rover Defender which behind the double cab has bespoke bodywork for storage. Special features of this vehicle are the metalwork on the bonnet, A-pillar mounted snorkel and small blue flashing lights on the front grille only. The rear view of the same Land Rover. Two more very small blue flashing LEDs can be seen on the rear.

This river watch / river patrol vessel is operated by Cheshire Police and Chester City Council. The stern view of the same river patrol boat. It is fitted with a Honda outboard motor. The mast has some blue plastic on top - this is not a blue light.

This vessel is a MOD Police boat Sword. It is used around the RN Clyde Naval Base at Faslane.

This orange RIB is used by North Wales Police in Port Dinorwic.

This is the Ministry of Defence's police boat Sir Humphy Gale which is based at Portsmouth Naval Base.

This is a photograph of one of Hampshire Police's launches on the Solent. This example is called Sir James Scott and it carries a similar livery to the rest of Hampshire's land-going fleet. It is fitted with a double blue flashing light and its aerial identifier code is 'MAR 3'.

A police officer in an orange Humber rigid inflatable boat watches out for approaching vessels while a colleague scours the river bed for evidence from a crime. The flag that is shown (reproduced below) alerts mariners to divers in the vicinity. Two further police officers wait on the shore for news from the diver by radio. The police diver surfaces with the remains of a mobile 'phone that has been thrown from a bridge. The police examine it before bagging it up to be sent for laboratory analysis.

This Ford Iveco Tector truck is the underwater search unit for North Yorkshire Police, based at Fulford, York. This truck is a very tall 4x4, 16 ton monster, with three steps up into the cab. In the rear is storage for diving equipments as well as a kitchen and showers. The RIBs are towed by a separate vehicle. It is a vast improvement on its rusty 1990 predecessor which it replaced in spring 2004. the vehicle in use.

North Yorkshire's underwater search unit, with trailer and boat. This converted bus carries all of the necessary equipment for the police divers as they practice in the River Ouse. This 1990 registration vehicle is quite rusty due to its work environment.