Editing HM Customs and Excise (section)

===The Cutter Service===
{{see also|List of customs cutters of UK Border Force}}
[[File:HMRC Vigilant BB.jpg|thumb|right|220px|HM Revenue Cutter ''Vigilant'', launched in 2003; the twelfth customs vessel to bear the name.]]
Following the transfer of the [[His Majesty's Coastguard|Coastguard]] to the Admiralty, HM Customs had found itself bereft of sea-going vessels. For the first part of the twentieth century, HMCE made do with a single revenue cruiser, the ''Vigilant'' (which served more as a flagship for the Commissioners than as a practical deterrent). After the Second World War, however, the need for active vessels was again recognised and suitable craft were purchased from the Admiralty. By 1962 HMCE had four fast launches in service, crewed by officers of the Waterguard (many of whom had seen active service in the Royal Navy); by 1980 eight further vessels had been acquired.

In the 21st century, a fleet of Customs [[Cutter (ship)|Cutters]] (latterly 42&nbsp;metre [[Damen Group|Damen]] patrol vessels) continued to operate throughout UK territorial waters inspecting vessels for Prohibited and restricted goods and increasingly immigration matters