Port security will be tightened from July 1

Staff Reporter THE Port Authority, Police and Guardia Civil chiefs are analysing the security measures which need to be taken in Balearic ports in order to comply with the new European directives regarding Level 1 security which come into force on July 1. A Port Security Committee has been set up to ensure that the regulations are complied with. Ramon Socias, the central government representative, said that under EU regulations, from July 1 all domestic sea traffic must be subject to passenger and cargo controls, just like international traffic. Passengers will be checked, and cars and lorries will be subject to spot checks, which will mean “an increase in security”, Socias said, pointing out that the shipping companies had a certain amount of responsibility in this field. Socias admitted that the new security measures could cause some inconvenience to passengers, but stressed that they would mean increased security. Some of the passenger terminals, such as that of Ibiza, make it “more complicated” to comply with the requisites because of their physical structure, he said. In these cases, he added, it will be necessary to adapt them. However, he went on, all the administrations involved will “adopt all the means within their reach” to ensure the security measures are complied with, including the use of scanning equipment and sniffer dogs. The new Port Security Committee will evaluate the degree of adaptation of the Balearic ports so that they can “assume the responsability established by the European Union in a co-ordinated manner,” Socias said. He added that security controls in ports cannot be compared with those carried out in airports, as planes carry between 200 and 300 persons, while boats carry more passengers and cargo. The National Police and Guardia Civil will play a fundamental role in the development of the security regulations, Joan Verger, the president of the Port Authority said. He explained that Level 1, the lowest level, involves strict control of accesses and this will be done “100 per cent.” However, it does not mean that all passengers and cargo will have to pass through a scanner, although the Ministry of the Interior could raise security demands, “and this would be really complicated,” he said. Verger said that port police last year took training courses on the new security demands, and so they are fully equipped to handle Level 1 security requirements.