The British Indian Ocean Territory Police serve in the

British Indian Ocean Territory The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia. The territory comprises the seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 1,000 ...

(BIOT) (situated in the Indian Ocean halfway between

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

). BIOT is a territory which does not have a permanent civil population, like most

British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Bri ...

. The population are mostly members of the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

and

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

. As such the BIOT police consists of

Royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...

Overseas Police Officers (ROPO), that are all currently members of either the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious warfare, amphibious light infantry and also one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighti ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

Organisation

The BIOT police (as of 2015) consists of: * Senior Police Officer (ROPO 1) (

Master at Arms or

Royal Marine The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

Colour Sergeant with Special Investigations Branch (SIB) experience) who acts as: the senior police person for the island, Primary Liaison Officer between international police forces, superintendent of prisons, senior officer in charge of supervision of ROPOs and provide reassurance to the island community regarding police and criminal activity. He/she is responsible to the BIOT Commissioner * Assistant Senior Police Officer (ROPO 2) (Royal Navy Senior Rate) who assists ROPO 1 with his/her duties. He/she is SIB and CSI trained. * ROPO 3 - Royal Navy Police Senior Rate. (SIB experience and CSI trained). * ROPO 4 - Royal Navy Police Senior Rate. * ROPO 5 -

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations ...

Corporal, female. * ROPO 6 -

Royal Air Force Police The Royal Air Force Police (RAFP) is the service police branch of the Royal Air Force, headed by the provost marshal of the Royal Air Force. Its headquarters are at RAF Honington and it deploys throughout the world to support RAF and UK defenc ...

Corporal, dog handler. * ROPO 7 -

Royal Marines Police The Royal Marines Police (RMP) is the Royal Marines element of the Royal Navy Police, a UK Service Police force. Members of the RM Police enforce service law and discipline. Duties and responsibilities The RM Police is responsible for provid ...

Corporal/Lance Corporal. * ROPO 8 - Royal Navy Police Leading Regulator, female. * ROPO 9 - Royal Navy Police Leading Regulator. * ROPO 10 -

Corporal/Lance Corporal

Duties

The duties of the ROPOs are typical of service police, but also act as customs officers for the island of

Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, a disputed overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and the largest of the 60 small islands o ...

in the British Indian Ocean Territory, as well as prison officers, as the Senior Police Officer acts as 'superintendent of prisons'. The offences dealt with by BIOT police have included: *Road Traffic Offences (Inc Fixed Penalty Notices) *Sexual Offences *Offences Against the Person *Drug Abuse/Misuse Statutory Offences *Theft/Fraud *Criminal Damage *Burglary *Public Order/Drunk Disorderly *

illegal fishing Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries. Illegal fishing takes pl ...

Activity *Fire Arms/Ammunition *MDA/Importation *Special Investigation – Sudden Death

Uniform and vehicles

The ROPOs have epaulettes with collar numbers to identify them, similar to UK civilian police uniforms. BIOT police use 4x4/SUV vehicles to patrol and respond to emergencies, they are painted with the typical British Battenburg Pattern and have "BIOT POLICE" markings on the vehicles.

Dog Unit (K-9)

The BIOT Police also has a dog unit (also known as K-9) that provides support to other ROPOs.

United States Navy presence

The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

(USN) has Naval Support Facility at East Point Plantation and entry to it needs a police permit.

References

External links

BIOT—British Indian Ocean Territory Customs
{{UK crown dependency and overseas territory police forces Government of the British Indian Ocean Territory Police forces of British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies British Indian Ocean Territory people