The Swedish Coast Guard has recently taken part in port controls in both the European operation EMPACT Trident and a regional operation in Blekinge.

The aim of the operation in Blekinge was to develop cooperation between agencies, limit cross-border crime, check for illegal waste handling and secure financial assets gained through crime.

– All the participating organisations see the benefit of cooperation. Joint operations open doors to other organisations and ways of contacting them regarding other issues as well, says Christian Bjerström, deputy coast guard station manager in Karlskrona, who led the operation.

The Swedish Coast Guard carried out 11 controls of dangerous goods, which led to 2 bans on continuing the journey and 2 on-the-spot fines, and 141 load securing checks, of which 19 led to a ban on continuing the journey.

The joint port controls were stepped up last week through EMPACT Trident, a European operation in eleven countries, mainly around the Baltic Sea, led by the Swedish Police Authority. The Swedish Coast Guard took part in port controls along the whole Swedish coast, in close cooperation with, among others, the Swedish Police Authority, the Swedish Customs and county administrative boards.

– Many criminals move across borders. The key to success is that several countries work together. Transports are fast, so we need to share information quickly between countries. We have seen less stolen property than in earlier operations, but more drugs and weapons, says Mikael Eliasson of the Swedish Police Authority, operation leader for the European operation.

Daniel Franke, operations manager at the Coast Guard, is also pleased with the extensive operation.

We’ve had very good cooperation between the agencies in all regions and we have been able to use the combined authorities of all the agencies during the operations.- Daniel Franke, operations manager, the Swedish Coast Guard

Read the Swedish Police Authority’s press release about the EMPACT Trident operation (in Swedish): 30 people arrested in Eupean operation against cross-border crime

Fakta: EMPACT – European cooperation against organised crime

EMPACT is a platform for cooperation against the most important threats from organised and serious international crime that affect the EU. National authorities, EU institutions and bodies, and international partners take part in the cooperation. EMPACT strengthens the intelligence picture and strategic and operational cooperation. EMPACT runs in four-year cycles that focus on the EU’s common crime priorities. The current cycle runs from 2026 to 2029 and has 13 crime priorities. The Trident operation is linked to the crime priority “The most threatening criminal networks and individuals”.