Bodies recovered from the Thames in 2023

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.24.036064

I note you seek access to the following information:

Could you please tell me the number of bodies that were recovered from the Thames for each of the past ten years up to and including 2023.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

Could you please tell me the number of bodies that were recovered from the Thames for each of the past ten years up to and including 2023.

There were 31 body recoveries from the River Thames in 2023.

Note:
Bodies recovered from the River Thames from 2012 to 2022, is held by the MPS and is already in the public domain.

This information can be accessed via the following:
Bodies recovered from the River Thames from 2012 to 2022 | Metropolitan Police

INFORMATION
The MPS - Marine Policing Unit (MPU) are unable to provide accurate data for this request.

The MPS holds data held about our recovery activities, but this data is not representative of either the Thames or London’s inland waterways.

Bodies are recovered from these waters not only by the MPU, but also by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), the London Fire Brigade (LFB), the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART team) and other professional and recreational river users. The MPS, do not have data regarding rescue numbers.

Inland, the LFB is the primary rescue service, but again, rescues will also be performed by local officers, HART team, recreational users and other persons around the waterways.

Providing our figures alone would be a gross misrepresentation of the real numbers.