Recruitment is underway for the long-awaited Port Security Corps, which will assist the Federal Maritime Police in Antwerp in combatting organised drug crime.
In February this year, the Federal Government announced that it would be taking seven measures to tackle organised crime in the country following a series of violent drug-related incidents and calls from multiple authorities for action to be taken. This included setting up a 'Port Security Corps', a new police force within the maritime police.
"As one of the largest European ports, the Port of Antwerp is a hub for world trade and an important lifeline for our economy. Drug criminals abuse this logistics platform and we must protect our port and our streets from that," said Home Affairs Minister, Annelies Verlinden.
From Monday, interested parties can officially apply for a position within this force, the Federal Police announced. "The new force will consist of 70 security officers, seven inspectors, eight chief inspectors and a commissioner," stated spokesperson An Berger.
Already bearing fruit
The teams will be deployed seven days a week and 24 hours a day in the entire Antwerp port area, both on the Left Bank and the Right Bank, but will focus their attention on certain 'hotspots', depending on the situation and the information available at the time.
They will also be tasked with ensuring the security of the entire port area through targeted patrolling and a visible presence on the premises, and with arresting drug pushers (criminals who illegally enter the port and try to extract drugs from containers).
The Corps will mainly consist of security officers, who are police officers specifically trained for special security assignments and not for judicial work. The training for this takes about six months.
Since February, the number of squads on the grounds at night has already tripled as a result of the support from the Intervention Reserve and the deployment of the Federal Police's dog teams.
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"A dozen squads now patrol the port every night. Seventy drug-related arrests were made in the first four months of this year, which is more than double compared to the same period last year," Berger said.
The Corps should be fully operational within a year. In the meantime, the Federal Police will temporarily deploy an additional 50 officers to the Shipping Police starting this month.
