Government seeks to tighten Port Security

Thu, 21 Dec 2023

The Isle of Man Government is developing measures to tackle threats to the Island’s safety and security coming through vulnerable entry points.

Immediate changes will see the Passport, Immigration and Nationality function moving from Cabinet Office to the Treasury. This will allow the Immigration and Customs teams to work even more closely, for more effective joint enforcement.

Council of Ministers has also agreed in principle to review the Ports policing functions of the Department of Infrastructure.

Officers are also developing options to improve active controls at sea ports, a more consistent approach to private aircraft route and passenger information logging, and the monitoring of wider parcel and courier services to deter the importation of drugs and other illegal items.

Other enhancements currently under consideration include the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) at ports, better sharing of sea passenger manifest data with law enforcement agencies, and updated x-ray scanning equipment for parcels.

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