According to Colonel Pham Quang Huy, Commander of the squadron, criminals usually take advantage of maritime traffic to commit crimes, particularly smuggling and drug trafficking.
In order to suppress crimes, in 2021, the Waterway Police Squadron 1 rolled out a plan to intensify patrols to ensure order and traffic safety in inland waterways and coordinate with other functional forces to handle violations of waterway safety regulations and fight crimes. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the police squadron also mobilized their forces and vehicles to support local efforts against the disease.
Notably, on November 14, the Waterway Police Squadron 1 in coordination with customs forces inspected and detected a vessel illegally transporting cosmetic and medical products in Quang Ninh’s coastal water. The smuggled goods, worth VND 1 billion, were then seized by the authorities for further investigation.
The waterway police unit also made great contributions to fighting illegal sand mining in rivers. Particularly, they arrested nine vessels and 21 people related to a case of illegally sucking sands from the Day River. The case was then prosecuted by the Criminal Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security.
Additionally, the waterway police squadron popularized laws on inland waterway traffic safety as well as anti-pandemic measures to waterway transporters and residents along rivers and coastal lines. They also offered 10,000 face masks and 100 life jackets to people living in Quang Ninh’s coastal area.
Waterway police officers requested vessel owners and water transporters to commit themselves to obeying traffic safety regulations while encouraging local people to support the police in fighting crimes.
In addition to enforcing laws in maritime traffic, the Waterway Police Squadron 1 also conducts rescue missions at sea. Particularly, on June 9, they rescued three victims of a shipwreck on the Quang Ninh – Hai Phong waterway.
