DORSET Police's Marine Section will be patrolling the beaches of Bournemouth and Poole this weekend to target reckless behaviour by jet skiers and other water users.

They will be staging the beach safety initiative - Operation Shell - from today and throughout the Bank Holiday on what is likely to be one of the busiest weekends of the year.

Operation Shell follows a number of incidents on the seafront involving swimmers and users of power-driven vessels.

In July 27-year-old Wais Kakar died after being struck by a propeller of a boat near Bournemouth Pier. It later emerged he was swimming outside the restricted buoyed area when the incident happened.

And this month Southampton dad Muzaer Majid drowned after getting into difficulties in the water at Durley Chine.

Operation Shell was drafted by the Marine Section's PC Jo Tearall following consultation with RNLI Lifeguards, Poole Harbour Master, Borough of Poole, Bournemouth Borough Council and Dorset Police's Marine Section.

PC Tearall will be driving the Dorset Police jet-ski, a Seadoo GTX donated by local firm Jetsmarivent, which can reach speeds of 45 knots, with backup from the police rigid inflatable boat and the police launch, Alarm.

The operation this weekend will involve officers from the marine section, the police Land Rover, beat officers from Poole and Bournemouth divisions, RNLI lifeguards, Port Control and the Port Control jet-ski with support from the Coastguard.

PC Tearall said: "Safety of the shoreline is of paramount importance. Operation Shell is not only about prosecuting offenders and targeting persistent offenders but also about educating water users about the dangers of speeding and general reckless behaviour, and the fact that it can and does lead to death.

"Sundays are also a traditional jet-ski user day and an ideal opportunity for us to advise and educate members of the public of by-laws and water safety on the Dorset coast.

"Recent reckless behaviour has also been caused by jet-skiers speeding within the marked speed zones off the beaches and this too will be addressed over the weekend."

PC Tearall added that colleagues hope to target pier and quayside jumpers following a number of reports of thrill-seeking youngsters risking their lives.