LONDON: Crackdown on waterways criminals (From News Shopper)

LONDON: Crackdown on waterways criminals

2:39pm Sunday 15th February 2009 in

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RIVER enforcers have joined together to crack down on Thames lawbreakers.

The Environment Agency (EA) and the Met police’s marine policing unit (MPU) have set up a formal partnership to work together and clean up criminal activity.

They will be sharing information, intelligence and resources to protect the river and nearby community from criminals.

The EA’s waterways operation manager Andrew Graham said: “We are already working closely and have a joint working partnership with Surrey police, so we are very pleased to be extending similar partnership arrangements with the Met formally.

“Our overall aim is to achieve an integrated approach to all enforcement activity on the river as there are lots of organisations involved in policing the river, we have improved our joint working over the last few years and are now seeing some excellent results, I hope the public can see the benefits.”

The head of the Met police’s MPU, Chief Inspector Derek Caterer, said: “I am very pleased to agree this memorandum of understanding, which will provide an opportunity to further strengthen our fight against crime along the rivers and canals of London.

“We will continue to work closely with all of our partners, including local authorities and British Waterways, to target those individuals who think they can use London’s waterways as a means of cover to commit crime.”