An inspection in Norfolk has found a campaign to stop criminals using small ports is failing due to infrequent border checks and confusion about how to report suspicious activity.
In a report into the effectiveness of Project Kraken, independent chief inspector of borders and immigration David Neal said an inspection carried out at Wells-next-the-Sea had found "little progress" was being made.
The project, a joint initiative between the National Crime Agency, Border Force and police, has been in operation since 2008 to gather intelligence of organised criminals, drug runners and people smugglers using smaller ports.
It aims to encourage people to report unusual activity, such as ‘boats arriving at unusual times or to isolated locations’, ‘people being somewhere they shouldn’t be’, and ‘nervous crew who show a lack of maritime protocols'.
However Mr Neal and his team, who also visited Whitby, said they had found the "low volumes" of information generated had "produced no actionable intelligence".
Experienced maritime professionals, including the harbour master and marina managers, thought the campaign was "dead in the water" because they had not heard about it "for several years, if at all", his report said.
Mr Neal added: "While I could not definitively conclude that Project Kraken is failing, I think it has some way to go in terms of meeting its objectives."
The report reveals Wells has only been visited by Border Force six times since 2018, three of which were to meet police rather than engage with the wider community.
Like other small ports along the region’s coast, it is overseen by just two field intelligence officers based in Felixstowe.
The inspection team found “distrust and lack of confidence” in Border Force among the local maritime and fishing community.
Many thought there was no “effective border” in small ports, while the unmanned and often unpopulated coastline was seen as a “perfect opportunity” for illicit activity.
The project is due to relaunch again in the coming months but engagement to encourage more people to give information and the methods for reporting suspicions need to improve, the report said.
The Home Office said it "fully accepted" the recommendations to "critically evaluate" and, where necessary, bring in more resources and establish a new way of reporting intelligence, adding: "Work is already under way to tackle the issues raised."
• If you see anything unusual or suspicious you can report it online. You can call the police on 101. If it is an emergency, call 999.
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