Prosecutions and enforcements
Ports and harbour authorities have powers and duties to act to ensure safety for all those who use the water.
In our experience, ports and harbour authorities take this responsibility extremely seriously. It is essential they use their powers effectively to make sure that everyone who uses the water understands their obligations to do so safely – and that tough penalties will be issued to those who don’t.
We have advised and represented ports and harbour authorities all over England and Wales for over a decade. We have worked with them to ensure Harbour Masters and patrol officers understand the procedural steps they need to take to ensure enforcement is robust, fair and proportionate and will stand up to the scrutiny of the courts. We will be with you and your team every step of the way.
It’s important to note not all ‘critical incidents’ will lead to prosecution- on some occasions other forms enforcement can work well. We work with clients to ensure effective and proportionate enforcement, and that prosecutions in the Magistrates Court or Crown Court are robust and act as a deterrent.
To support you further, we provide training to board members and patrol officers, to make sure everyone involved in the process understands what needs to be done. We have worked hard to ensure clients think of us as an extension of their team – all pulling in the same direction in a responsive manner and with the deep knowledge of the sector you would expect from a team that has been so involved in supporting the industry for so long.