Thermal Imaging Van, Volkswagen T4 Transporter Syncro Caravelle LWB, registration number P751 HKE, c. 1996 with Mobile Surveillance Equipment supplied by Nanoquest Defence Products Limited, UK, used by Border Force, Home Office, in covert night surveillance operations along the Thames between 1996 and 2017

This Thermal Imaging Van was used by Border Force, Home Office, in covert night surveillance operations between 1996 and 2017. The van was part of a network of surveillance vehicles and equipment to monitor the movement of water vessels travelling up and down the Thames. The main target were suspected drug smugglers whose heat signatures were identified by the thermal imaging equipment. It was an advanced system in the 1990s, a unique setup and the only one extant.