Wapping residents will be able to watch the Met Police Marine Unit patrolling up and down the Thames today in their new ‘Wet and Dry’ vehicle.
With #interoperability in mind we are launching our new Wet and Dry patrol vehicle today. We will now have the ability to drive ashore and deal with land based incidents. 1st response. pic.twitter.com/XZxw4ssXqy
— MPSonthewater (@MPSonthewater) April 1, 2018
As the @MPSonthewater tweet explains the ‘WaD’ will allow Wapping’s finest to instantly switch from ‘wet’ operations to ‘dry’ easily and will eventually mean that all the current MPS Marine Unit boats are phased out.
Up to 10 WaD vehicles are to be purchased.
Despite the police patrol boats being a much loved sight as they patrol the Thames, cuts to central government funding of the MPS has meant that they are just too expensive to maintain.
In addition the adoption of the WaD vehicles will allow the river police to provide a full 360 degree service.
Marine 2 responded to a concerned member of the public who believed they had seen a coffin floating in the river, genuine call when viewed from a top floor flat! pic.twitter.com/VorH6zcdzr
— MPSonthewater (@MPSonthewater) March 27, 2018
Wapping canal trials
Earlier this week Marine Unit officers fished a coffin lid from the Thames and, after some basic DNA analysis forensic work, were then able to drive to the Co-Op undertakers in Chrisp Street, Poplar, and return the lid in time for the funeral of Mr. J. Arthur Rank who died of natural causes at the ripe old age of 101 years.
Trials of the new vehicle have been taking place up and down Wapping canal for the last month.
No problems were encountered during the trials apart from the WaD crew not having enough food for the Egyptian Geese.
Cornish pasty mishap
The only mishap was when an as yet unnamed MPU Inspector forgot to close the vehicle door before going from ‘dry’ to ‘wet’ mode when driving back into the canal with predictable results.
Unfortunately the WaD vehicle had just been for a drive to the bakers in Wapping Lane on a pasty run.
The fate of the 20 very soggy Cornish pasties is not known despite extensive investigative work by Tower Hamlets CID.
Update: April Fool! 😉
I doubt we fooled anyone with this photo yesterday but far from being a recent TV prop this vehicle was made for us by @LandRover to mark the start of a Westminster to Paris relay row by 4 teams of marine officers in 1990 https://t.co/u0blA0JfAB
— MPSonthewater (@MPSonthewater) April 2, 2018