Terrorists on the Thames

Published: Friday, 11 December 2009

POLICE are warning boaters on the Thames to report any unusual activity believing terrorists could be using the river.

The police have launched 'Project Kraken', which is a national initiative designed to raise awareness among river communities about the threat of terrorism and other criminal activity on rivers in the county.

The project is already being used successfully by a number of other forces across the south coast and is now being expanded to cover Surrey waterways, particularly the Thames.

Many of the boats visiting the large marinas on the non-tidal Thames have travelled from the coast or even abroad, and the police are involving local safer neighbourhood teams, and developing close working relationships with boaters and marinas to ensure a regular flow of information.

No terrorist threat

Although there is currently no specific terrorist threat to Surrey or the river, the Thames, it is believed could be a target for terrorists and other criminals looking to access London, or to smuggle people or materials into the country.

North Surrey Neighbourhood Superintendent Rachel Tills explained:

"Project Kraken aims to co-ordinate the whole marine community, neighbourhood police officers, police community support officers and the general public to report any suspicious behaviour on the Thames.

"We want to make people aware of what constitutes suspicious activity—when something seems wrong, unusual or out of place. And we want to encourage all river users to work together with the Police and other agencies to reduce the risk of criminality on Surrey's rivers."