Thames River Police, Wapping

The Thames River Police, founded in 1800, was created to tackle theft from ships in the Pool of London and the surrounding docks. It replaced the earlier Marine Police, set up in 1798 by magistrates Patrick Colquhoun and John Harriott, with support from the West India Committee. The Marine Police is often considered England’s first formal police force.

Before the Marine Police, merchants lost around £500,000 annually (around £65.4 million today) due to stolen cargo along the River Thames. John Harriott, a justice of the peace and former mariner, proposed a plan to stop this, supported by Colquhoun and philosopher Jeremy Bentham. Together, they convinced the West India merchants to fund a one-year trial. On July 2, 1798, the Marine Police began patrolling the river.

The police team included surveyors who patrolled the river in open boats and supervised the loading and unloading of ships. Constables, paid by shipowners but managed by the force, oversaw dock workers to ensure cargoes were protected. The force was responsible for 33,000 river workers, of whom 11,000 were believed to be criminals.

The Marine Police faced fierce opposition from workers who feared losing their side incomes from stolen goods. At one point, a mob of 2,000 people attempted to burn down the police station, resulting in the death of Gabriel Franks, the first officer killed in the line of duty. Despite this, the force’s first year was deemed successful, with £122,000 worth of cargo saved and lives rescued.

Following its success, Colquhoun pushed for government backing. This led to the passage of the Depredations on the Thames Act in 1800, officially establishing the Thames River Police. The force was responsible for crimes on the Thames and surrounding areas in Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, Essex, Westminster, and the Tower of London.

By 1829, the Thames River Police had expanded to three stations in Wapping, Waterloo, and Blackwall. In 1839, it merged with the newly formed Metropolitan Police, becoming its Thames Division and later evolving into today’s Marine Policing Unit.