North Wales Police are taking part in a major Wales-wide initiative to crack down on drug smuggling, organised crime and illegal immigration around the Welsh coast.

For the first time, a single point of contact has been created for boat users and coastal communities to provide tip-offs about suspicious activity.

Publicity material placed at key locations - from marinas to seaside pubs across North Wales – has been designed to prompt members of the public to flag up their concerns.

The ‘Coast Watch Wales’ initiative brings together specialist officers from the various maritime and coastal agencies responsible for the security of Wales’s 750 miles of coastline. These include police, coastguards and UK Border Agency officers.

Examples of suspicious activity that would be of interest to Coast Watch Wales include:

• Night-time signalling between vessels at sea and people on the shore;

• Large vessels being approached by smaller craft;

• Items or people being landed in remote coastal areas;

• Vessels leaving or arriving at marinas and harbours at irregular times;

• Light aircraft landing on remote beaches and coastal areas;

• Items being attached to marker buoys; and,

• Large numbers of passengers embarking or disembarking vessels.

A dedicated Coast Watch Wales website and email facility has been set up for people to pass on information, 24 hours a day, about anything out of the ordinary.

The intelligence will be assessed and investigated by the Coast Watch Wales team. Information can also be given to Coast Watch Wales anonymously via the Crimestoppers phone number 0800 555 111.

The aim of Coast Watch Wales is to make the Welsh coast a hostile environment for anyone involved in criminal activity, such as people smuggling, drug importation and terrorism.

With the help of the public, the Coast Watch Wales team will look to identify vessels and individuals engaged in criminal activity, disrupt their operations and prosecute those involved.

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Shannon: "Supporting this initiative will assist North Wales Police and our partners in protecting our communities from illegal activity and as a result I would urge the people of North Wales to remain vigilant and report any activity along our coastline that they consider to be suspicious.

“Posters and leaflets are also being distributed along the entire Welsh coastline so If in doubt "Flag it up".

Marc Owen, UK Border Force Director for Wales, said: “The public is used to the idea of Neighbourhood Watch. Now we’re asking maritime communities to help us protect the Welsh coastline by making it simpler to report suspicious activity.

“The UK Border Agency works 365 days a year to prevent illegal immigration and smuggling at the Welsh coast – which forms a large part of the UK’s border.”

Barrie Evans, HM Coastguard Regional Resilience Co-ordinator said : “Coast Watch Wales is a great opportunity for Her Majesty’s Coastguard to work with partner agencies and others to protect our maritime boundary and coastline.”

Further details are available via the Coast Watch Wales website – www.coastwatchwales.gov.uk

Notes:

1) Coast Watch Wales can be emailed directly and confidentially via www.coastwatchwales.gov.uk or by telephoning Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, people should continue to call 999.

2) Coast Watch Wales is made up of specialist officers from Wales’s four police forces, the UK Border Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Royal Navy and Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

3) In 2008, several bales of cocaine were found washed up on beaches in north and west Wales. Each package contained drugs with an estimated street value of more than £2m. All were found and reported by members of the public.