- During the visit, which coincided with the arrival of a ferry from the British Isles, he was able to witness the usual police operation during a landing
The Superior Chief of Police in the Basque Country, Jesús Herranz Torrubia and Commissioner José Manuel de Blas Casado, head of the Provincial Brigade for Foreigners and Borders of Bilbao, together with members of the General Commissariat for Foreigners and Borders, have received in Bilbao Alan Hughes, Liaison Officer in Spain of the "An Garda SÍochána", a counterpart of the National Police in the Republic of Ireland.
The purpose of the visit was to show the highest Irish security representative in Spain the procedures and material and human resources with which the Maritime Borders Group of the National Police operates in the Port of Bilbao, as well as to share protocols of action in the border control of people, strengthening coordination and cooperation between the two countries.
It should be remembered that, currently, there are two weekly departures from this Port to Rosslare, in Ireland, on Thursdays at 16.00 and on Sundays at 11.00, and two departures from Rosslare to Bilbao, on Wednesdays at 08.00 and on Fridays at 23.00.
As it is a border post, the control of documents related to the entry and exit of Spaniards and foreigners from the national territory is of utmost importance for security, so the National Police, with exclusive competence in this matter, has intercepted over the last years multiple fugitives weighing arrest warrants at a national, European and international level who wanted to flee between the two countries.
Likewise, the existing problems have been shared with the settlements of migrants located in the vicinity of the port area who intend to go illegally hidden as stowaways in caravans, trucks and goods destined for the United Kingdom or Ireland, exposing how thanks to the intense control of the National Police it has been possible to minimize this phenomenon and combat the trafficking of human beings derived from it.
During the visit, which coincided with the arrival of a ferry from the British Isles, he was able to witness the usual police operation during a landing.
The Special Unit for Subsoil and Environmental Protection has intervened by carrying out a search for persons hidden in inaccessible places of the boat or the pier, the Special Unit for Canine Guides in carrying out a search for the location of explosives and narcotic substances, and the Maritime Borders Group in the control of travelers, checking the documentation and travel requirements of passengers.
He has also been shown the facilities that the National Police has in the Port and the technical devices and computer programs for the examination of travel documents and control of persons.