Cape Verde Ports and Portuguese Judicial Police Strengthen Port Security with New Cooperation Protocol

The Cape Verde Port Company (Enapor) and the Portuguese Judiciary Police signed a cooperation protocol with the aim of strengthening security in the archipelago's port areas.

The agreement provides for the implementation of the Janela Única Portuária (JUP) software by all criminal investigation, security and port inspection units, granting remote access to the video surveillance platform. Furthermore, the protocol provides for training actions and other types of support, according to an official statement from Enapor.

The main objective of this initiative is to increase security levels, "taking into account the joint responsibility of institutions in preventing and detecting illicit activities in port areas", in addition to increasing the capacity to "repress crimes in Cape Verde's ports and areas adjacent", according to the statement.

"The fight against crime necessarily requires the reinforcement of cooperation, as criminals are also increasingly organized", said Manuel da Lomba, director of the Judiciary Police, to the Lusa agency at the beginning of May.

On the occasion, the director was speaking during the scientific police's anniversary ceremonies, where cooperation agreements were signed with the National Police and the Armed Forces. The signing of new protocols to speed up the PJ's actions is one of Manuel da Lomba's priorities, who took office in January this year.

In the first four months of 2024, the nine ports of the archipelago's inhabited islands registered a movement of 2,759 ships, with more than half a million passengers and 400 thousand tons of goods in containers, numbers higher than those for the same period in 2023.

This new cooperation protocol between Enapor and the Judiciary Police of Portugal demonstrates the institutions' joint commitment to ensuring the safety and efficiency of port operations in Cape Verde, contributing to the country's socioeconomic development.