MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st January, 2022) The United Kingdom is planning to deploy armed counterterrorism officers on ferries coursing between the island and Europe this summer, The Times reported on Monday, citing a source.
According to the newspaper, officers from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) are to be posted on ferries going from Dover across the English Channel as well as passenger ships going between Newcastle and the Netherlands.
The trial run will start in July, with about 40 officers expected to be tasked with providing securities on ferries. The newspaper noted that the force has an excess of officers due to nuclear power stations being decommissioned and that some of them will be rotated to the ferry duty.
The source called ferries a weak link in the effort to police transport against terror attacks, adding that deploying even a few CNC officers will provide a visible deterrent.
Last year, the UK and France inked a new security treaty to protect passengers on channel ferries or other large vessels, giving UK emergency responders more authority in dealing with terrorist incidents in that area.