To resolve the edge pressure gradient a spatial resolution of better than 1 cm is required at the toroidal mid-plane of the JET plasma. To obtain sufficient signal in Thomson scattering the scattering volume may be inclined at an angle to the poloidal flux surfaces (tangential). Due to access restrictions spatially resolved Thomson scattering at JET uses the time-of-flight LIDAR technique. Spatial resolution down to 5cm has been demonstrated using this technique. By scattering off regions of large poloidal flux expansion this can be equivalent to less than 1 cm at the mid-plane. Two systems are described, one using a streak camera, for maximum spatial resolution, and one using MCP-photomultipliers. The reason for the better performance of the second system and possible future upgrades are briefly discussed.