Criminal Protection of Seaport Security A Comparative Study

Abstract

Crime is constantly evolving in its methods to try to avoid detection by the competent authorities. This is particularly true for the movement of illegal shipments; drugs, counterfeit goods and other illicit goods are discovered and intercepted by law enforcement authorities in unexpected places in ports. This confirms that one of the main routes for the movement of illicit goods is through the ports of countries, as organized criminal networks try to hide their cargo among legitimate shipments within the free trade zone or elsewhere.

This research reviews the legislative position decided by the Iraqi and Emirati legislators regarding some of the main methods used by criminal networks to try to bypass security in their seaports and carry out illegal commercial or criminal activities, and presents new methods that are gaining momentum among criminal networks - in particular the modus operandi of stealing container reference codes, also known as PIN fraud, and ends by proposing discussions on how port authorities and law enforcement agencies can work together to eradicate criminal activity in ports. In order to delve into this topic, we divide it into two sections, the first of which is devoted to explaining the criminal protection of seaport security, while the second section shows some applications of criminal protection of seaport security.