Summary and Background Part 8: Enforcement Marine Enforcement Officers Section 235: Marine enforcement officers
623.This section allows the MMO and the Welsh Ministers to appoint marine enforcement officers (“MEOs”). The appointment of such officers may be restricted, so that they do not have the ability to use all the powers officers would otherwise have on appointment: for example, limitations to the geographical area within which an officer may use the powers. Commissioned officers of the Royal Navy and anyone in the Royal Navy, Army or RAF in charge of an aircraft or hovercraft are automatically MEOs. Subsection (3) is a transitional provision allowing the Secretary of State to appoint MEOs in advance of the establishment of the MMO, which will then appoint MEOs in England.