Above: View of the River Police Station from the riverfront in Rotherhithe. The floating police pier is in front of the building. The street entrance is in the alleyway on the left of the building. The alleyway ends at the Thames with stairs leading down to the beach (when the tide is out).
The River Police force was formed in 1798 by Patrick Colquhoun and John Harriott. The police at first leased a building that had been erected prior to 1780 on the western half of the site of the present Police Station. It was then in use for the Thames Court which remained there until 1798 when it moved to Arbour Square. The first police building remained until 1869. The River Police had been formed to try to counter the enormous amount of pilfering that took place on the Thames.
Many sailing vessels were moored on the river, waiting for a berth in order to unload their cargo. With no lighting on the river it was all too easy for river-pirates to take advantage of the situation and make off with stolen cargo under the cover of darkness. The West India Company supplied and paid for police on the water and watchmen on the quays. The men were mainly recruited from seamen and from watermen.
A second building, almost identical to the first, was erected on the site at Wapping and it opened in 1872 and remained until 1908. A third, larger building, covering the original site and land to the east was built in 1907-10. All three buildings have had a similar bow window at almost the same position.
The first powered police boat was introduced in 1865. The first steam river police launches were introduced 1907. Until this date the police boats were nearly all rowed. All police boats were powered by 1920.
The Police Station stands at No 259 on the south side of Wapping High Street. The river location is beside Wapping New Stairs. Beside the Police Station are stairs giving access to the beach.
Today, the Marine Policing Unit (MPU) is based at Wapping Police Station alongside the River Thames. It is responsible for policing 47 miles of the River Thames in London between Dartford and Hampton Court. It also provides a response to over 250 miles of waterways and other bodies of water across the rest of London, such as lakes, reservoirs and the canals in London. As a 24 hours a day, seven days a week frontline policing unit, MPU officers face many of the same situations as land-based police, such as community based issues, security, and crime and antisocial behaviour.
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Know Your London 