Coastal Watch – Initiative for Prevention and Detection of Illegal Drug Importation

On this month’s Crimecall Detective Superintendent Sé Mc Cormack of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau spoke about Coastal Watch, a multi-agency initiative aimed at the prevention and detection of illegal drug importation, promoting vigilance from coastal communities and the wide range of organisations and agencies that operate at sea and along our Coast and harbours.

An Garda Síochána, Revenue's Customs Service and the Irish Naval Service will further develop and strengthen each agency’s role and the complementary relationship that exists between all agencies in the fight against drug smuggling in the maritime domain. One of the aims of Coastal watch is to raise community awareness about risk indicators and previous case studies of successful drug interdictions, where information received from the public was critical to preventing drugs reaching vulnerable communities.

The purpose of the Coastal Watch is to focus the attention of the statutory and voluntary organizations along with farming groups, coastal communities, commercial and fishing industry and all those who use our seas for business and pleasure purposes on how they can assist the statutory agencies in "Keeping Drugs at Bay".

With a multi-disciplinary approach by everybody, it will ensure a formidable force is in place so that our coastline is not used for drug importation, or if it is that there are, many eyes that will report unusual activity along our coastline.

Coastal Watch has been in existence for over 30 years and has proved to be a success. However, personnel in organisations, landowners near coastline and communities change with the passage of time. Therefore, it is important to re-energising Coastal Watch through persistent, clear engagement with our coastal communities and ensuring that Coastal Watch continues to operate effectively.

Some of the risk indicators that members of the public are requested to be aware of are:

• Suspicious activity in relation to persons or vehicles
• Ships and yachts sighted in remote areas
• Crew making landings in remote areas
• Unusual objects at sea or ashore
• Ships away from their normal shipping lanes
• Vessels operating at night without lights
• Packages floating in the sea, lying on the beach or hidden close to the shore.

Members of the public are requested to report any unusual activity to any of the following numbers:

Customs Drugs Watch - Confidential Freephone number 1800 295 295 

Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 

Emergency Number 112/999 

Naval Operations Centre 021– 4864707

Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau