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Water police

Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience

A police rigid-hulled inflatable boat used by the North West Police Underwater Search & Marine Unit for water rescue operations.

Water police

Water police, also called bay constables, coastal police, harbor patrols, marine or maritime police, nautical patrols, port police, or river police, are a special kind of law enforcement group. They are part of a larger police organization but work in boats instead of on land. Their job is to keep water areas safe.

These officers patrol in many different water places, such as coastal tidal waters, rivers, estuaries, harbors, lakes, and canals. They help make sure that people are safe and that rules are followed in these important water areas.

Duties and functions

A rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) used by the UK's North West Police Underwater Search & Marine Unit. It is marked as both POLICE and HEDDLU, as it operates in both England and Wales

Water police help keep people safe near water. They make sure boats follow the rules and stop bad things from happening. They help people in emergencies in the water and work until rescue teams arrive. They also keep coastlines safe, protect the environment, and stop illegal activities like smuggling. Sometimes, they work with other groups that have boats.

They use many types of boats, from small personal water craft and inflatable boats to bigger motorboats. Some boats can help put out fires. The people who operate these boats are trained in rescue skills, like first aid, and may also be trained to help with diving.

List of water police units

Australia

Austria

Bahamas

Bangladesh

Belgium

Bermuda

Canada

Cayman Islands

Finland

France

Germany

Ghana

Gibraltar

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 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. Was referred to as Water Police until 1948 when it was renamed Marine Police.

Indonesia

India

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Malaysia

Marshall Islands

Monaco

Netherlands

  • Dienst Waterpolitie, water police force, a subdivision of the "Landelijke Eenheid" (LE), the nationwide unit.

New Zealand

Panama

Philippines

Portugal

Russia

Serbia

Singapore

Spain

Sri Lanka

South Africa

Thailand

United Kingdom

United States

Federal

District of Columbia

Alabama

Arizona

California

Connecticut

  • Bridgeport Police Department Marine Unit
  • Candlewood Lake Authority Marine Patrol
  • Columbia Lake Marine Patrol
  • Connecticut Environmental Conservation Police
  • Coventry Marine Patrol
  • Cromwell Police Department Marine Patrol
  • Darien Police Department Marine Division
  • Fairfield Police Department Marine Unit
  • Greenwich Police Department Marine Operations Section, Connecticut
  • Groton City Police Department Marine Patrol
  • Lake Housatonic Authority Marine Patrol
  • Metropolitan District Commission Police Department, Connecticut
  • Middletown Police Department Marine Unit
  • Milford Police Department Marine Patrol
  • Norwalk Police Department Marine Unit
  • Norwich Police Department Harbor Patrol
  • Old Saybrook Police Department Marine Patrol
  • Stamford Police Department Harbor Unit
  • Stratford Police Department Marine Unit
  • Westbrook Police Department Marine Patrol
  • Westport Police Department Marine Division

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

  • Lake County Sheriff's Department Marine Unit, Indiana

Iowa

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

  • Cumberland County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol, conducts seasonal patrols on Sebago Lake
  • Brunswick Police Department Marine Resources Unit
  • Biddeford & Saco Harbor Patrol, a joint patrol between the Biddeford Police Department and Saco Police Department
  • Falmouth Police Department, Marine Unit
  • Maine Marine Patrol, Maine Department of Marine Resources

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

  • Butler County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol, Ohio
  • Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol Unit, Ohio
  • Henry County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol Division, Ohio
  • Huron Police Department Harbor Patrol,
  • Lake County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol, Ohio
  • Lorain Port Authority Marine Patrol, Ohio
  • Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft
  • Perrysburg Township Police Department Marine Patrol, Ohio
  • Rocky River Police Department Marine Patrol, Ohio
  • Ross County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol Unit, Ohio
  • Sandusky Police Department Marine Patrol, Ohio
  • Summit County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol, Ohio
  • Toledo Police Department Harbor Patrol, Ohio
  • Vermilion Police Department Marine Patrol Unit, Ohio

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

  • Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Marine Division, Tennessee

Texas

  • Austin Park Police, Texas

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Multistate

Vietnam

    • Ministry of Public Security: Vietnam People's Public Security
      • Department of Traffic Police: Vietnam Traffic Police
        • Bureau of Water Traffic Patrol and Control: Vietnam River Police
        • Bureau of Water Criminal Investigation: Vietnam River Police
        • River Squadron I
        • River Squadron II
        • River Squadron III

Images

Police patrol boats docked near an icebreaker in Helsinki, Finland.
A police boat from the Metropolitan Police patrols the River Thames in London.
A police boat named 'Bürgermeister Bauer' sailing in the water.
A police boat from the Chicago Police Department on the water.
A police boat docked in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England.
A bay constable patrolling the waters of Oyster Bay to keep the marine area safe.
Police boats docked at a harbor in Bermuda.
An Italian Coast Guard patrol boat docked near the city of Palermo.
A patrol boat used by the Indonesian police, stationed at Pangandaran in West Java.
A police boat in motion, previously used by the North West Police Underwater Search & Marine Unit.
A fast police boat called a Cheetah catamaran, used for water rescues and safety during special events like the London Olympics.
A police boat from the Hong Kong Police Department, numbered No.80.

Related articles

California

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Water police, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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