The new insignia will help make Environment Patrol Officers more recognisable to boaters and other river users whilst improving their effectiveness as a deterrent to unruly or illegal behaviour.

The insignia is displayed on epaulettes worn on the shoulders of employees’ uniforms – but this is not the first time the insignia has been used by Environment Agency patrol officers. The original merchant navy insignia was replaced in 2007 by a more modern version which incorporated the Environment Agency logo with elements of the old Thames Conservancy branding.

Nick McKie-Smith, Waterways Enforcement Team Leader, said: “The feedback we’ve had from customers is that the previous insignia made our enforcement officers less visible to our customers and other river users. That visibility can nip certain incidents in the bud before they happen, removing the need for enforcement action in the first place, and this was something we lost.”

Although there was no marked increase in incidents on the river as a result of the previous insignia change, the enforcement team felt strongly that the old insignia would have been helpful in a number of tense and occasionally hostile situations.

The revived insignia uses combinations of stripes to identify specific roles and will be worn by Environment Agency boatmen, technical officers and waterways team leaders. Matt Carter, waterways operations manager will also wear insignia to denote his position as Harbourmaster for the River Thames, with responsibility for enforcing the requirements of legislation relating to the navigation of the river, as will Nick McKie-Smith as Assistant Harbourmaster.

“Our enforcement officers do a tough job and are arguably the unsung stars of the service we provide to boaters on the Thames. So I’m really pleased that the old insignia has been reintroduced, and allowed our officers  to win back their stripes. And I’m sure our customers will be pleased too.”

Reintroducing the merchant navy insignia will realign Environment Agency waterways employees with those of other harbour authorities in the UK and internationally, including its neighbour on the River Thames, the Port of London Authority.