A Metropolitan Police patrol boat responding to reports of a person in the water near Battersea crashed into Westminster Bridge, throwing three armed officers into the River Thames and leaving five in total injured, four of them seriously.
A police patrol boat crashed into Westminster Bridge on Friday afternoon, throwing officers into the River Thames and leaving five injured, four of them seriously with non-life-threatening injuries. The vessel, belonging to the Metropolitan Police’s Marine Policing Unit, which patrols around 75 kilometres of the Thames, was responding to reports of a person in the water near Battersea when it struck one of the bridge’s pillars at speed. Three officers were thrown into the river by the impact, while two remained aboard the damaged boat. All were treated at the scene before being taken to hospital, with a fifth officer later discharged.
What happened
Footage of the incident shows the black rigid inflatable police boat travelling at speed before striking a pillar of Westminster Bridge, sending waves into the air and throwing officers into the water. Their heads could be seen bobbing above the surface as the boat continued moving away from them. The officers on board were armed officers responding to reports of a person in the water further up the river when the collision occurred, the Metropolitan Police said. The incident took place at around 3.45pm on Friday.
Witnesses on the north side of the bridge described the moment of impact. Mateo Bilis-Lusevic, 12, visiting London from Chile with his mother Cecilia Lusevic, said: “Two boats were riding extremely fast through the water. Suddenly, I was looking towards the boat, and I heard a boom. Then three people went flying into the water, and one of the people was really hurt.” He said the officers remained in the water for around ten minutes, with a life ring thrown to one of them before a black rigid inflatable boat arrived to help.
US tourists Jim and Katherine Bagley, from Gloucester, Massachusetts, also witnessed the aftermath while queueing for a river cruise. Jim Bagley said: “We were standing in line to get onto the city cruise hop on, hop off tours, and we saw two police boats coming up the river. One was an orange boat that went under the bridge and left a great big wave, and then there was a black boat that came up behind it, the police boat. It looks to me that he got stuck in the wake of the other boat that had just passed through the bridge and slammed into the wall on the opposite side. We didn’t see it happen, but we heard the explosion… the next thing we saw was three people in the water, coming down the river.” Katherine Bagley added that both boats appeared to have been “in pursuit of something further down the river” before the crash.
Rescue operation
Officers thrown into the Thames were rescued with the help of nearby river users. Video footage obtained by the Daily Mail showed individuals aboard an Uber Boat attempting to rescue one officer from the water, while two others were pulled onto the black rigid inflatable police boat. RNLI responders treated casualties at the scene, and the Metropolitan Police confirmed that no members of the public were injured in the incident.
London Fire Brigade said its fire boat and three fire rescue units with water rescue capabilities were mobilised in response. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 3.47pm today (24 July) to reports of an incident on Westminster Pier, Victoria Embankment. We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, incident response officers, advanced paramedics and paramedics from our hazardous area response team (HART). We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.”
Disruption in the area
The incident caused significant disruption in central London. A police cordon was placed at either end of Westminster Bridge, forcing buses to reverse and find alternative routes. Entrances three and four to Westminster Underground station were closed, Transport for London confirmed. A fire service boat later towed the damaged police vessel away from the bridge to allow investigators to examine it.
Uber Boat by Thames Clippers confirmed one of its services was cancelled and others delayed as a result of the incident, though the company clarified it was not involved. A spokesperson said: “An incident occurred in the vicinity of Westminster Bridge on Friday afternoon that did not involve Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, however some services may be subject to disruption or delay as a result. For further information and updates please refer to the Port of London Authority or the Metropolitan Police.”
Official response
Metropolitan Police Commander Nick John said: “Our thoughts are with all those involved, in particular our officers who were injured and those who responded in challenging circumstances. The four officers who remain in hospital have serious but non-life-threatening injuries. We will give them all every support as they recover. I must also offer our thanks to those river users who came to the aid of the officers, as well as other police and emergency service colleagues who immediately made their way to the scene to assist. The quick-thinking and professionalism of all those involved undoubtedly prevented any further injuries.” The Home Secretary has also expressed support for the injured officers and thanked the emergency services involved in the rescue operation.
The Port of London Authority said in a statement: “We are aware of an incident involving a police vessel at Westminster Bridge. We are supporting the response by providing river traffic management assistance where needed and are working closely with the Metropolitan Police, HM Coastguard and partner agencies to manage the situation.” An RNLI spokesman confirmed the Tower RNLI lifeboat had attended the incident, referring further enquiries to the Metropolitan Police.
Investigation under way
The investigation into the crash is being led by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), with support from the Metropolitan Police. The MAIB specialises in examining marine accidents to establish their cause and improve future safety, rather than to apportion blame. Authorities have said there is currently no indication of criminal wrongdoing, with the inquiry focused on establishing exactly how the collision occurred.
