National Maritime Information Centre

[TheSmiter]

This one seems to have snuck in under the radar -

National Maritime Information Centre will monitor threat from sea - Crime, UK - The Independent

I particularly like this from Lord West

"The sharing of information has not been as good as it should be. I think the British public would be surprised to realise that we don't know what every single contact is off our coast - and the reason is the number of people who are looking at these things.

"I believe this is a huge step forward that will really enable us to get to grips with this issue."

Genius!

You know you're living in a failing state when the Government of an island nation spends valuable tax payers money setting up an Agency to co-ordinate the recognised maritime picture while simultaneously dismantling the forces who provide that picture!

Didn't we once have such an organisation? Wasn't it once called Coastal Command / 18Gp / 11-18Gp / 3Gp, oh and something called the Royal Navy, all with a Headquarters at Northwood. No? I must have been dreaming.

You couldn't make it up.

So very Nu Laba, so very Modern Britain.

PS Before anyone bleats about the aviation relevance in the title, I didn't think prune was ready for yet another Nimrod thread. I'd like to give our Dark Blue brothers (and sisters) a chance to air their views.

[green granite]

We also used to have an organisation called The Coast Guard, they had lookouts every few miles around the coast so that any ship movement could be monitored visually, now they just sit in a windowless office at a few places only.

[ricardian]

We also used to have an organisation called The Coast Guard, they had lookouts every few miles around the coast so that any ship movement could be monitored visually, now they just sit in a windowless office at a few places only.

"Mass resignations plunge Wick coastguard service into chaos, eight of 11 volunteers go in row over swearing by officer."
Source P&J