ANNEX 3
NATIONAL REPORTS
BRAZIL
The Government of Brazil is developing a policy to improve public safety in Brazilian ports, terminals and waterways and also to modernises its ports system which is crucial for both domestic and foreign trade. A Decree issued on 30 May 1995 charged the National Public Safety Commission on Ports, Terminals and Waterways (CONPORTOS) with maintaining order in ports, terminals and waterways.
The Commission is made up of representatives from the Ministries of Navy, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Transport and the Federal Police and is co-ordinated by the Ministry of Justice.
In addition to the CONPORTOS, there are also state Committees (CESPORTOS) made up of representatives of the National Port Master's office, the Port Authority, the Internal Revenue Service and the Customs under the co-ordination of the Federal Police. CESPORTOS are already operational in the States of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Amazonas, para, Parana and Espirito Santo and will be established in the near future in the States of Bahia and Santa Catarina. The activities of the CESPORTOS has already resulted in a considerable reduction in the number of crimes reported in these States.
Under an agreement between the Ministries of Justice and Navy, the Federal Police is to be supplied with new equipment and more officers are to be recruited and trained. It is estimated that by the end of 1998, the Federal Police would have acquired 5 new ten meter boats and that 40 police officers would have received advance training. In the next yeas, 4 twenty-one meter boats will be added to this.
Despite these efforts on the part of the Government, the country can still benefit from technical and financial assistance to increase its capability in dealing with crime in its port areas and sees the present seminar and workshop as a form of technical assistance.
COLOMBIA
A number of cases of piracy and armed robbery against ships under way have been reported in the area of San Andres and Provincial Islands. The attacks were mainly against cargo ships, yachts and sailing boats. In the four cases reported recently, a ship was boarded by men carrying fire-arms from a first boat; in another incident a Norwegian flag ship was boarded by four pirates who stole paints and crew's personal effects. In another incident the captain sustained knife wounds while tying to repel the pirates and in the last reported case the pirates armed with knives succeeded in boarding and stealing ropes from the ship.
To deal with the situation, the Coast Guard, under the direction of the Navy, now maintains surveillance round our coast using boats and helicopters. The Colombian Navy has also installed VTSs in Buena Ventura, Turbo and Cartagena equipped with x-band and s-band radar, VHF, MF and HF receivers to enable them track the ships off the Colombian coast.
There are plans to establish VTSs in Punta Espada (Guajira), San Andres and Bahia Solano y Tumaco in 1999. It is hoped that the entire Colombian coast will be covered by VTS. With the recent addition of two Spanish built units, the Coast Guard now has the capability to detect and track ships off our coast. This has already resulted in a drop in the number of piracy and armed robbery incidents reported in Colombian waters.
