Commissioner of Police Eddie Yome, in his capacity as President of the European Association of Airport & Seaport Police (EAASP), last week chaired the EAASP’s annual conference in Bruges, Belgium. Gibraltar was also represented at this event by senior officials from HM Customs, Borders and Coastguard Agency and the Gibraltar Port Authority.

The conference saw 20 international experts sharing their experiences and best practice with regards the challenges of international collaboration in a changing world of border and port security. The event, attended by over 60 law enforcement and security professionals from across Europe, focused on aviation and maritime security, with sessions that discussed current threats and opportunities to disrupt criminal and terrorist activity.

The Commissioner of the Belgian National Police in Bruges highlighted how the proximity of recent terror attacks and associated arrests in Belgium evidenced the importance of international, inter-agency cooperation against terrorism.

Inspector Lopez of the RGP delivered a presentation on a North African Perspective Post Arab Spring Reforms, Challenges and Implications to the Western Mediterranean.

Conference delegates were hosted to a reception in the historic King’s Chamber of the Bruges Town Hall by the city’s Deputy Mayor Ms Alderman, who was presented with a memento by Commissioner Yome as EAASP President.

Commenting on his final conference as President of the EAASP, Commissioner Yome expressed satisfaction at how this year’s conference had unfolded, adding he was extremely pleased that Gibraltar would continue to be represented at this forum following the recent election of Collector of Customs John Rodriguez into the EAASP’s Executive Committee. 

For his part, Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo QC, commented that ‘The EAASP annual conference could hardly have been held in a more appropriate country than Belgium which has seen such appalling acts of terrorism recently. I am delighted and proud that Commissioner of Police Eddie Yome should have chaired such an important forum and that other members of Gibraltar’s law enforcement agencies were also represented at the conference. I would also like to congratulate Collector of Customs John Rodriguez on being elected on to EAASP’s Executive Committee.’