Question

1 - What are 3 resources available to the port FSO in assessing domestic and international risks associated with terrorism and other criminal activity threats posed to port maritime operations?

Answer 1

The port facility security officer is the main person responsible for planning & managing the port security functions. According to International Convention the port FSO is responsible for the development, implementtation, revision & maintenance of ports as well as incharge of all security related functions. The port facility security officer ensures that all security measures are taken properly to protect the port facility. Applying security guidelines to all areas of the port & maximizing the security measures through security drills, exercises, tests & identifying weak and vulnerable areas also included in the task of FSO. The three important resources available to the port FSO for fighting terrorism & other criminal activities are- 1. Informations from Intelligence- which can be further classified as a) Open sources- open souces intelligence is information obtained from publicly available sources like news reports, libraries, internet etc. b) Human Intelligence- It refers to the information obtained from specific working group of people recruited for the security purpose. c) Signals Intelligence- It refers to the electronic transmissions collected by ships, planes or satellites. In this way facility security officer can research activities & methodologies of terrorist & make appropriate action plan & proactive measures to tackle any terrorist attacks. 2. surveillance is another resouce available to the port FSO's. It is carried out with the help of images & photos obtained by aircraft & drones enable FSO's to cover any unforeseen incident to take place. They can observe any unusual activity & prepare in advance to deal with it. After getting such threat they can inform coast guard who will then take appropriate action & neutralize the threat to security.3. Human Resouces which refers to recruited personnel associated with dealing threats. They are highly trained professionals specially trained on behavior related with criminal activities in international & domestic platforms also including various forms of terror. Many times threat assessment depend on security organization's human resource component. It is no denying fact that many port facilities are operated by private sector organizations in such cases port FSO's need to have good cooperation with local & state goverment including law enforcement agencies to access sources & to have command over intelligence information.