Dorset police use Raymarine technology in crime prevention

Delivered in August, Dorset Police Marine Section’s new 11m patrol boat Buccaneer was built by Ribcraft. The ultramodern RIB was purpose-built to an exacting specification, incorporating a suite of Raymarine’s latest electronics for optimal situational awareness to assist the crew in crime prevention.

Buccaneer’s helm integration is centred around Raymarine’s award-winning Axiom multifunction display system. Two 12” Axiom Pro multifunction displays, a Pro 12 S with single-channel CHIRP sonar and a Pro RVX with RealVision 3D sonar and 1kW CHIRP sonar act as all-in-one sources of detailed navigational data. 

A dual-station Raymarine Ray63 VHF marine radio provides Class D Digital Selective Calling (DSC), while a Raymarine Quantum 2 CHIRP pulse compression radar utilises Doppler collision avoidance technology for enhanced target awareness. Said to be capable of instantly detecting both long and short-range moving radar contacts, the Quantum 2 automatically colour-codes targets so that users can tell at a glance whether the objects are approaching or receding.

Underwater situational awareness is enhanced with an RV-100 all-in-one transom-mount sonar transducer for the Axiom Pro 12 RVX. For operational safety, the vessel is equipped with a Raymarine AIS700 Class B Automatic Identification System (AIS) transceiver, capable of both receiving other vessels’ AIS position reports and broadcasting the Buccaneer’s current position and navigational status to other AIS-equipped vessels. Day-and-night situational awareness is achieved with FLIR’s M232 pan-and-tilt thermal camera, which employs ClearCruise™ Object Detection technology and will issue audible and visual alerts on the Axiom Pro displays whenever any non-water objects, ranging from other boats to obstacles and navigation markers, are in the vicinity. 

“We recommended the Raymarine equipment to Dorset Police because of the FLIR integration,” says Dorian Martin, Ribcraft project manager. “That’s what we do as standard. If a customer requests FLIR, we will suggest that they go with Raymarine because of the seamless integration the products provide the FLIR technology. Raymarine’s latest products are fast, intuitive, and they have quick start-up times. They are also built around touchscreen technology, which our customers really like.”

With the Raymarine navigation system commissioned, Buccaneer is now fully active and patrolling Dorset’s extensive 89-miles of coastal waters, from Lyme Regis to Christchurch Harbour.

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