EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF AIRPORT AND SEAPORT POLICE
MARITIME SECTOR STATEMENT
The maritime industry has made many changes in the last five years following incidents such as 9/11, US Cole and MT Linburg to name a few. The body within the United Nations tasked with improving security and safety in the maritime sector is the International Maritime Organization (IMO) from their work the introduction of the International Ship and Port Facility Code was established in 2004 to all member states of which there is 164 worldwide.
During this same period the US introduced legislation for maritime security in the form of the MTSA Act for US seaports and vessels visiting US ports and the European Union issued their legislation in the form of EC Regulation 725/2004 and Directive 65/2005.
We must also not forget that many seaports and ships do not have a police force carryout policing and security duties anymore, but rely on private police forces and professional security companies to fulfill this task.
Taking all these facts into consideration the Association has had to carryout its own review and reform to be able to still provide the best services available to its members.
We are working together to expand our membership further in Europe through the membership of the new states.
The Association now believes that it has mapped out its future programme that will assist members and allow further development for and within the Association. The Association has begun evolving from a conference organization into a fully developed inclusive and integrated body, seeking to develop a platform from whence it can exert increasing influence over security in the maritime sector and the policies being introduced in Europe.
The Maritime Group within the Association will seek to promote common standards, improve communication and be pro-active within our Member States of Europe. Our goals are to be a leading body that can provide the end user expertise that is required to ensure that our industry remains as secure as possible in the current climate we are facing today. I am sure the pooling of operational knowledge and practical expertise that our members have will provide a golden challis of solutions that can be implemented.
The members of Maritime Group will continue to ensure that the interests of all our members are voiced by representing the European Association of Airport and Seaport Police in various EU programmes and project revolving around maritime security and boarder control.
Maritime Brian Cranmer
Maritime Group
'Securing our future’
Maritime Group Strategy
Policing in Europe in the millennium is like a continuum in that the further you look the more uncertain things become but more avenues open. Today, we live and work in a Europe that has sought to reap fully the benefits of globalisation, bringing with it new challenges of worldwide networks and infrastructure that operate within the key theme of interdependence.
As Vice President of the Maritime portfolio, myself and my European Association colleagues embrace the evident expansion of European member states that has brought an increased urgency to the EAASP in its search for a standardisation of “Protective Security” measures throughout. Whilst the work and challenges of the EAASP Maritime Group (EMG) reflects the goals of the EAASP, responsibility for the control of seaports of the EAASP member states lie, like aviation, with the national organisations. That said, the EMG can and does play an important role through the co-ordination of Member organisations actions’ in the implementation of joint security operations and legislative measures that relate to the management and security of seaports.
The EMG will seek to promote common standards and interoperability across Europe. Develop the exchange of information and intelligence between members and identify European best practice in conjunction with and the subsequent endorsement of the EAASP members and ratification of the European Commission.
Brian CRANMER Vice President EAASP ( Maritime)
The EAASP Maritime Group have members from a large number of countries across Europe who work in the challenging and developing maritime sector. The involvement of these members in bringing experience and best practice from their major ports which include: Rotterdam, Southampton, Valletta, St Petersburg, Ghent and Gibraltar is a vital element in the progression of the aims and objectives of the Associations Maritime Group.
The Maritime Group are increasingly being invited to participate in working groups across Europe and to assist in the dissemination of best practice. This section of the web pages will be used to give a brief update on the areas of interest that the group are currently engaged in. Full details are disseminated to the Association members seperately.
Project work
The Maritime Group are currently engaged as end users /expert advisors in the development of a system which can be used to identify the threats from ships using networked sensors under EU framework 7 proposals. This developmental work is being completed in conjunction with the major international known Defence Technology company Qinetiq and will look to co-ordinate preparation towards a European capability in identifying vessels entering port authority areas which may present a security, criminal or environmental threat. The Association will be looking to provide experience and end user opportunities to organisations representing countries from Malta, Gibraltar, United Kingdom, Holland and Norway / Sweden.
The EAASP Maritime section have also been approached to consider further FP7 developmental work as end users looking at the development of scanning and detection equipment for materials, persons, drugs, CBRN substances etc.
European Commission
Currently the Maritime group attends bi-monthly meetings in Brussels as a member of SAGMaS (Stakeholder Advisory Group on Maritime Security) at the direct invitiation of DG TREN, European Commission. The SAGMaS group meets immediately before the main Commission Maritime Security Group ( MARSEC) and are invited to discuss and debate all new legislation that may affect the maritime industry as a whole. The SAGMaS group is attended by a large number of major influential bodies which include;
European Maritime Safety Agency, European SEaports Organisation, FEPORT, European Community shipowners Association, European Cruise council, European Harbour Masters Association, European shippers' Council, Medcruise, European Express Association and European Federation of Inland Ports.
MARSEC are increasingly recognising the value of the SAGMaS group and this is reflected by the large number of MARSEC members attending the SAGMaS meetings to engage with the stakeholders in identifying soultions to the main issues affecting security in the maritime environment. The EAASP are seen by the European Commission as a vital conduit in the discussion of security issues in the European Maritime portal areas and are the only policing body represented at these meetings.
Minutes from these meetings are disseminated directly to EAASP Maritime members for their information and due consideration for future developmental issues within the SAGMaS group.
Maritime Intelligence
The EAASP Maritime Group have submitted a report to the European Commission concerning the lack of credible systems in the dissemination of information or intelligence within the maritime sector. This is an issue which exists not just between Police forces across Europe but also from civilian organisations to their respective counterparts across europe or even between Police and civilian agencies. The introduction of the ISPS codes and the ongoing development and implementation of new and improved initiatives across Europe have been a challenge to many organisations in addressing security. The EAASP assess that by imposing these requirements there clearly will have been an increase in what we did not already know and an identification of issues which could be deemed to be of a serious security risk or indeed a trend in crime which, if disseminated appropriately would benefit all involved in Portal and maritime security.
Throughout europe there are sources of intelligence and information in the maritime environment but this information is not assessed, analysed and disseminated in a coherent way. In addition there are information sources that would significantly inform the policing tasks that are not used or that are not as integrated as they should be and this has led on a number of occaisions, to both crime and security opportunities for interdiction or intelligence gathering not being exploited. The EAASP maritime group believe that it is important to identify the method by which the operational resources available are tasked appropriately and exploit the opportunities that are identified.
We are currently awaiting the official response from the European Commission on this report.
The EAASP Maritime group are keen to hear from partner organisations both Police and civilian that have newsletters or information bulletins that can be disseminated by our intelligence co-ordinator to members of the Association or other professional groups within SAGMaS. These bulletins can be sent to the maritime secretary in the first instance;- paul.campbell@hampshire.pnn.police.uk