As the Statutory Harbour Authority, we are empowered to maintain the Harbour Police under the Tees and Hartlepool Port Authority Act 1966 (THPAA).
Harbour Police officers are uniformed and warranted constables, appointed by justices of the peace, who have the same powers, privileges and protections as all other constables in the United Kingdom, within the area in which they operate.
The Tees and Hartlepool Port Authority Act 1966 (THPAA) restricts the area in which Harbour Police officers can operate essentially to two miles from the “high water line” at both ports, which is extended in certain circumstances to cover port related incidents.
Cleveland Police have responsibility for policing the whole of the Teesside area, including Teesport and the Port of Hartlepool, however, we choose to fund our own police force to cover the port area only. The Harbour Police work closely with Cleveland Police and have a Memorandum of Understanding in place that formalises arrangements for deployments, operations, training and administration.
The Harbour Police consists of a Chief Officer who leads a team to ensure a 24/7 presence across both ports and the wider port community. Utilising patrol vehicles, river patrol and drones, the Harbour Police work closely with partners including Border Force to support the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) regime and CONTEST: the UK Government’s Counter Terror Strategy.
The Harbour Police are committed to serving and protecting the Authority’s infrastructure, people, tenants, stakeholders and visitors.
To this end, the Harbour Police introduced the Community Policing Plan initiative which assigns one individual officer as a single point of contact for sites within the Harbour Police’s operational area allowing for direct, seamless communication between stakeholders and the Harbour Police.
As well as enabling greater visibility of the Harbour Police, the plan allows businesses across Teesport to build trusted relationships and resilience within their organisations, safe in the knowledge dedicated officers will offer support as needed.
Nominated officers are always on hand to offer support and advice across various issues such as:
Teesport is also a registered PortSafe facility. Powered by CrimeStoppers, the initiative is a collaborative approach between law enforcement, first responders, partner agencies and industry. It aims to enhance security awareness within UK ports via a combination of industry-focused engagement, briefings and training, alongside the provision of a mechanism to allow anonymous reporting for matters of concern across Teesport.
By collaborating with PortSafe, the Harbour Police hope to provide an even safer environment at Teesport, and one in which anyone feels comfortable to report any potential insider threat, criminal or security-related concern with complete anonymity.
6th December 2024
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13th November 2024
