Water police
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Water police, also called harbor patrols, port police, marine/maritime police, nautical patrols, bay constables, river police, or maritime law enforcement are police officers, usually a department of a larger police organization, who patrol in water craft. Their patrol areas may be coastal sea waters, rivers, estuaries, harbors, lakes, canals or a combination of these.
Duties and functions[]
Water police are usually responsible for ensuring the safety of water users, enforcing laws relating to water traffic, preventing crime on vessels, banks and shores, providing search and rescue services (either as the main provider or as an initial response unit before more specialized units arrive), and allowing the police to reach locations not easily accessible from land. They may also be responsible for coastal security, environmental law enforcement, immigration and smuggling patrols, and diving search operations (although many police organizations have separate units to handle this). Their operations may coordinate with other agencies with similar assets such as in the United States the various Federal, State or Local authorities may work together to promote or achieve similar enforcement or rescue outcomes. In the United States, a number of states have combined the duties of water police with those of conservation officers.
Equipment ranges from personal water craft and inflatable boats to large seagoing craft, but most police vessels are small to medium, fast motorboats. In some areas these vessels incorporate a firefighting capability through a fixed deck nozzle.[1] The operators of these vessels are generally trained in many rescue disciplines including first aid, vessel dewatering,[2] and firefighting. They may also be rescue and scuba divers who are specially trained and also boat operators who may engage in towing operations.
List of water police units[]
- Australia
- Australian Federal Police Water Police
- New South Wales Police Marine Area Command
- Northern Territory Police Marine and Fisheries Enforcement Unit
- Queensland Police Water Police
- South Australia Police Water Operations Unit
- Tasmania Police Marine and Rescue Services
- Victoria Police Water Police Squad
- Western Australia Police Water Police Branch
- Austria
- Federal Police (Austria) Water Police of Austria (especially Vienna)
- Bahamas
- Royal Bahamas Police Force Harbour Patrol
- Belgium
- Belgian Federal Police Water Police Branch (DAC)
- Bermuda
- Bermuda Police Marine Unit
- Canada
- Barrie Police Service Marine Unit
- Brockville Police Service Marine Patrol Unit
- Durham Regional Police Service Marine Unit
- Halifax Regional Police Lake Patrol
- Hamilton Police Service
- Halton Regional Police [1] Marine Unit
- London Police Service Marine Patrol Unit
- Montreal City Police Service Nautical Patrol
- Niagara Regional Police Service Marine Unit
- Ontario Provincial Police - regional Marine Units and Underwater Search and Recovery Unit
- Ottawa Police Service Marine/Underwater Unit
- Peel Regional Police Marine Unit
- Regina Police Service Underwater Investigation and Recovery Team
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police West Coast Marine Detachment
- Saskatoon Police Service River Patrol Detail
- Toronto Police Service Marine Unit - formed in 1982 to replace Toronto Harbour Commission Port Police and Harbour Police units.
- Vancouver Police Department Marine Squad
- Victoria Police Department Marine Unit
- Winnipeg Police Service River Patrol and Underwater Search and Recovery Unit
- York Regional Police Service Marine Unit
- Cayman Islands
- Royal Cayman Islands Police Marine Section
- Finland
- Helsinki Police Department Boat Unit
- France
- Germany
- Federal Police units embedded within the Coast Guard
- Water Protection Police units of the following State Police:
- Ghana
- Marine Police Unit
- Gibraltar
- Gibraltar Services Police Marine Unit - a civil police force which guards and enforces law on UK Ministry of Defence installations in Gibraltar.
- Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section
- Greece
- Hellenic Coast Guard, whose full name is "Harbour Corps-Hellenic Coast Guard," was originally founded in 1919 as the "Harbour Corps" (Greek: Λιμενικό Σώμα) to act as Greece's maritime and harbour police. It still performs this role, and it is often often referred to as the "Harbour [Corps]" (Λιμενικό) in everyday Greek parlance.
- Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Police Force Marine Region - The Marine Police patrol 1,651 km2 (637 sq mi) of waters within the territory of Hong Kong, including 263 islands. The Marine Region with about 3,000 officers, and a fleet of 143 in total, made up of 71 launches and 72 craft is the largest of any civil police force.[3][4][5] Was referred to as Water Police until 1948 when it was renamed Marine Police.
- Indonesia
- Indonesian National Police - Polisi Perairan (POLAIR)[6]
- Ireland
- Israel
- Israeli Police Marine Police
- Italy
- Corps of the Port Captaincies – Coast Guard Maritime police
- Guardia di Finanza Marine Police Section
- Jamaica
- Jamaica Constabulary Force Marine Division
- Malaysia
- Royal Malaysian Police Marine Operations Force
- Marshall Islands
- Marine Police Section
- Monaco
- Monaco Police Force Marine Division
- Netherlands
- Dienst Waterpolitie, water police force, a subdivision of the "Landelijke Eenheid" (LE), the nationwide unit.
- New Zealand
- New Zealand Police Maritime Policing Unit
- Panama
- Philippines
- Portugal
- (Maritime Police)
- Republican National Guard (Portugal) Unidade de Controlo Costeiro (Coast Control Unit)
- Russia
- Police of Russia's Water Police
- Saint Petersburg Police's river police
- Moscow Police's river police
- FSB's Russian Coast Guard
- National Guard Maritime Unit
- Police of Russia's Water Police
- Serbia
- Police of Serbia's River Police
- Singapore
- Singapore Police Force Police Coast Guard
- Spain
- Guardia Civil
- Servicio de Vigilancia Aduanera (Customs)
- Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka Police Service Marine Division
- South Africa
- South African Police Service Water Wing
- United Kingdom
- Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Marine Operations Section
- Dyfed-Powys Police Marine Unit
- Dorset Police Marine Section
- Essex Police Marine and Diving Unit
- Hampshire Constabulary Marine Unit
- Kent Police Marine Unit
- Lothian and Borders Police Marine Section
- Metropolitan Police Marine Policing Unit (formerly Thames Division)
- Ministry of Defence Police Marine Unit
- Norfolk Constabulary Broads policing unit by boat with support from 'Broads beat' officers on land
- Northumbria Police Marine Unit
- North West Police Underwater Search & Marine Unit
- Strathclyde Police Marine Policing Unit
- United States
- Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Marine Police Division
- Marine Patrol, Washington
- , Texas
- Marine Patrols/Bay Constables, New York
- Baltimore Police Department Marine Unit, Maryland
- Baltimore County Police Department Marine Unit, Maryland
- Marine Division, Massachusetts
- Boston Police Department Harbor Unit, Massachusetts
- Marine Patrol, Florida
- Marine Patrol, Ohio
- Lake Patrol Unit,[2]
- Harbor Patrol, South Carolina
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Lakes Enforcement Division, North Carolina
- Marine Patrol Unit, Georgia
- Chicago Police Department Marine Unit, Illinois
- Marine Unit, Colchester, Vermont
- Lake Patrol Unit Cornelius, North Carolina
- Marine Patrol Division, Wisconsin
- Daytona Beach Police Department Marine Unit, Florida
- Delaware River and Bay Authority Police Department Marine Unit
- Des Moines Police Department Waterway Operations Unit, Iowa
- Detroit Police Department Harbor Master Unit, Michigan
- Marine Patrol Section, Delaware
- Marine Patrol Unit, California
- Boat Patrol, California
- Erie County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol Unit, New York
- Marine Rescue and Recovery Unit, New York
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Park Patrol
- Fort Lauderdale Police Department Marine Unit, Florida
- Gaston County Police Department Marine Enforcement Division, North Carolina
- Marine Operations Section, Connecticut
- Marine Patrol Unit, Ohio
- Marine Division, Tennessee
- Hennepin County, Minnesota Sheriff's Office Water Patrol, Hennepin County, Minnesota
- Marine Patrol, Virginia
- Marine Patrol Division, Ohio
- Hollywood Police Department Marine Unit, Florida
- Harbor Patrol,
- Huntington Harbormasters Office /Marine Patrol
- , New York
- Kent Police Department Marine Patrol Unit, Washington
- Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Water Patrol
- Key West Police Department Marine Unit, Florida
- King County Sheriff's Office Marine/Dive Unit, Washington
- Lake Patrol, California
- Lake County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit, Florida
- Marine Unit, Illinois
- Marine Unit, Indiana
- Marine Patrol, Ohio
- Levee District Police, Louisiana
- Marine Patrol, Ohio
- Los Angeles Port Police, Port of Los Angeles, California
- Ludington Marine Patrol (jointly operated by city police and fire departments),[7] Michigan
- Marine Division, Michigan
- Marine Patrol
- Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Lake Patrol Division, Arizona
- Marine Patrol, California
- Maryland Natural Resources Police
- Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department Marine Unit
- Massachusetts Environmental Police
- Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit
- , Connecticut
- Metropolitan Police Department Harbor Patrol, District of Columbia
- Miami-Dade Police Department Marine Patrol, Florida
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, Marine Patrol
- Milwaukee Police Department Harbor Patrol Unit, Wisconsin
- Missouri State Water Patrol Department of Public Safety, Jefferson City, Missouri
- Marine Division, Michigan
- Nassau County Police Department Marine Division, New York
- New Hampshire Marine Patrol Department of Safety
- New Jersey State Police Marine Services Unit
- New York City Police Department Harbor Unit, New York
- New York City Police Department Auxiliary Police Harbor Unit, New York
- New York State Police Marine Detail
- Marine Patrol, Florida
- Marine Patrol, Florida
- Oakland County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit, Michigan
- Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft
- Oklahoma City Police Department Lake Patrol Section, Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lake Patrol Section (Troop W)
- Harbor Patrol, Washington
- Orlando Police Department Marine Patrol Unit, Florida
- Marine Division, Michigan
- Marine Patrol, Ohio
- Philadelphia Police Department Marine Unit, Pennsylvania
- Pittsburgh Bureau of Police River Rescue Unit, Pennsylvania (operated jointly with the city's Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and featured in the movie Striking Distance)
- Marine Unit, California
- Marine Unit, Florida
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
- Patrol Boat Division, Louisiana
- Marine Patrol, Washington
- Harbor Patrol, Rhode Island
- Putnam County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit, New York
- Marine Patrol, Ohio
- Marine Patrol Unit, Ohio
- Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Marine Enforcement Detail, California
- Sacramento Police Department Marine Division, California
- San Diego Harbor Police Department Public Safety Agency California
- Marine Patrol, Ohio
- Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit, California
- Seattle Police Department Harbor Patrol, Washington
- Suffolk County Police Department Marine Bureau, New York
- Suffolk County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit, New York
- Marine Patrol, Ohio
- Tampa Police Department Marine Unit, Florida
- Harbor Patrol, Ohio
- United States Coast Guard Search and Rescue (SAR) and Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETS)
- United States Customs and Border Protection: Office of Air and Marine
- United States Park Police Marine Unit
- Marine Patrol Unit, Ohio
- Virginia Marine Resources Commission Law Enforcement Division
- Vermont State Police Marine Division Vermont
- Marine Division, Michigan
- Marine Patrol, Massachusetts
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Lakes Patrol Unit
- Vietnam
- Ministry of Public Security: Vietnam People's Public Security
- :[8] Vietnam Traffic Police
- : Vietnam River Police
- : Vietnam River Police
- River Squadron I
- River Squadron II
- River Squadron III
- :[8] Vietnam Traffic Police
- Ministry of Public Security: Vietnam People's Public Security
Gallery[]
A Metropolitan Police launch on the River Thames in London
Patrol boat of the Wasserschutzpolizei of Hamburg/Germany
A Chicago Police Department boat on Lake Michigan
Police boat in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England
Helsinki Police Department patrol Boats 491, 192, and 493 in front of ice breaker at Katajanokka, Helsinki, Finland.
Town of Oyster Bay constable on patrol in waters on the north shore of Long Island, NY
Boats of the Marine Section of the Bermuda Police Service at Barr's Bay, in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Italian Maritime Police Patrol boat
Indonesian POLAIR (Marine Police) Patrol Boat
Consortium, one of the vessels used by the UK's North West Police Underwater Search & Marine Unit
A Cheetah catamaran acquired by the UK's North West Police Underwater Search & Marine Unit in 2012, to be used during the London Olympics
Hong Kong Police Force Marine Region Police Launch 80
Toronto Police Marine Unit
Water police patrol boat on the Vistula river in Warsaw, Poland
Basque Police (Ertzaintza) Patrol boat
See also[]
- Coast guard
- Police watercraft
- Water Rats, Australian television series about water police
References[]
- ^ "Deck Guns: Know Your Flow". Fire Engineering. 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- ^ "Dewatering Control System". seapart.com. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- ^ Police History: Overview - The Future
- ^ 香港警務處-警隊歷史
- ^ 水警總區
- ^ Website: http://polair.polri.go.id/
- ^ "Marine Patrol | Ludington, MI - Official Website".
- ^ "CỤC CẢNH SÁT GIAO THÔNG | | Cục cảnh sát giao thông".
External links[]
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