British Indian Ocean Territory Police

Last updated
British Indian Ocean Territory Police
Flag of the Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory.svg
AbbreviationBIOT Police
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction UK
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersDiego Garcia, BIOT
Service Polices10
Parent agencyMOD
Website
biot.gov.io/about

The British Indian Ocean Territory Police serve in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) (situated in the Indian Ocean halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia). BIOT is a territory which does not have a permanent civil population, like some other British Overseas Territories. The population are mostly members of the British Armed Forces and United States Armed Forces.

Contents

As such the BIOT police consists of Royal Overseas Police Officers (ROPO), that are all currently members of either the Royal Marines or Royal Navy. [1]

Headquarters of the British Indian Ocean Territory Police, Diego Garcia, 2005. Biot police.jpg
Headquarters of the British Indian Ocean Territory Police, Diego Garcia, 2005.

Organisation

The BIOT police (as of 2015) consists of: [2]

Duties

A ROPO 3 of the Royal Navy Police administers a breathalyzer to a U.S. Navy yeoman stationed on Diego Garcia. USN with ROPO.jpg
A ROPO 3 of the Royal Navy Police administers a breathalyzer to a U.S. Navy yeoman stationed on Diego Garcia.

The offences dealt with by BIOT police have included: [4]

Uniform and vehicles

The ROPOs have epaulettes with collar numbers to identify them, similar to UK civilian police uniforms. [6]

The BIOT Police station, Diego Garcia. BIOTcops.JPG
The BIOT Police station, Diego Garcia.

United States Navy presence

The United States Navy (USN) has Naval Support Facility at East Point Plantation and entry to it needs a police permit. [7]

See also

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References

  1. Ministry of Defence (April 2, 2012). "Overseas Territories, The Ministry of Defence's Contribution, Directorate-General Security Policy" (PDF).
  2. "FOI 0863-15 Crime Statistics" (PDF). October 30, 2015.
  3. "The King v The Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory" (PDF). Supreme Court of the British Indian Ocean Territory. 5 May 2023. p. 17. BIOT SC/No3/2023 & BIOT SC/No 4/2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  4. "British Indian Ocean Territories Police - a Freedom of Information request to Foreign and Commonwealth Office". WhatDoTheyKnow. August 12, 2017.
  5. "Diego Garcia". MSC. United States Navy. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.