Devon and Cornwall Police have taken delivery of a new powerful boat to help them tackle crime and attend incidents on the water.

The Marine Policing and Underwater Search team government-funded boat, named Neptune, is a significant upgrade to the force’s current marine capability.

It offers an improved ability to respond to calls for service and patrol the coastline even in severe weather conditions.

Part of the Home Office’s programme to tackle serious organised crime, the Neptune will enhance the force’s response to maritime threats including drugs smuggling and organised immigration crime, while also boosting coastal safety.

It will be operated by the force’s team of specially trained marine police officers, who are responsible for responding to incidents on the water, as well as using their expert knowledge to investigate marine-related crimes.

It’s a sad fact that although the waters around our two counties are beautiful, they can also be hazardous and every year the police dive team are called to help recover victims. Neptune is significantly larger and more stable than the inflatable boats the force has been using, which will enable the team to stay at sea longer conducting operations.

It is equipped with state-of-the-art marine electronics, including a long-range stabilised infra-red HD camera and a remotely operated vehicle, an underwater drone, that can search in more tricky conditions.

Neptune is a versatile vessel and will be used for a variety of purposes, including water searches, identifying offences and anti-social behaviour at sea and on water, transporting specially trained officers and specialist equipment to incidents and providing reassurance patrols along the coastline.

Chief Constable James Vaughan said: “The acquisition of Neptune, thanks to government funding, has enabled us to take an important step forward in our marine capability and in protecting our coastline and communities.

“The boat will give us much greater visibility on the water, and help to deter helping all manner of anti-social behaviour and criminality including organised immigration crime. That could be anything from the theft of lobster pots right up to counter-terrorism operations and the activities of organised criminal gangs smuggling drugs or people.

“Our coast has hundreds of historically important wrecks, some of which are scheduled monuments or war graves. The presence of Neptune will help to protect our heritage by deterring rogue divers from plundering these sites.

“As a coastal police force, we work closely with partners such as the RNLI and HM Coastguard and Neptune will significantly strengthen the part we play in keeping our coastline safe.”

Neptune was built and fitted out by Cheetah Marine.

Bas Edmonds, managing director of Neptune’s builder Cheetah Marine said: “Cheetah Marine are immensely proud to be handing Neptune over to Devon and Cornwall Police. We hope they will be able to make the most of Neptune over the coming years and Cheetah Marine will be forever proud in supporting Devon and Cornwall Police in achieving their objectives.“