Some of you may not have seen the message from James Douglass, President on the ‘about us’ page. The message has been copied below as a news post.
Our 2018 Conference which was held on the 14th – 15th May and hosted by EUROPOL was a huge success. The conference facilities at the EUROPOL HQ in The Hague are excellent. I would like to thank Madam Catherine De Bolle the new Executive Director of EUROPOL for personally taking the time to open the conference and giving a very interesting and thought provoking speech.
The theme of this year’s conference was: ‘Maintaining a flexible and agile security capability that protects our ports in a changing threat environment’. The focus of the conference included: Physical Cyber Threats to Ports, Collaborative Working to address the Changing Threat & Risk Picture; The Counter Terrorism Threat to our Ports & Borders; followed by a Cyber Security & Counter Terrorism Exercise. To conclude there was a panel session allowing for in-depth discussions and the further development of issues raised during the presentations.
Further details of the conference are being added to this web site together with a summary of the learning. I would like to thank all the EAASP Exec members who worked hard with partners to ensure the delivery of such a successful conference.
We are looking to hold the 2019 conference in Lisbon and is likely to be the 2nd or 3rd week in May. We will provide further details following consultation with senior law enforcement colleagues and the selection of an appropriate hotel. Careful attention will be paid to delegates’ feedback to help us ensure the conference continues to meet the needs of our members and supporting organisations. We will also monitor the changing intelligence and risks that affect our business, to ensure the agenda going forward drives our business and supports our members.
At the Annual General Meeting held after conference day one, members were consulted and voted for a few changes to the Executive Team. Willem Mudde was elected Vice President Aviation. Mark Stirling filled the vacancy created by Willem’s appointment as Vice President and Paul McDonald joined the Aviation Secretariat. Finally we also have a new General Secretary, Graham Brown has been supporting the Exec Group for some time and so was a natural selection for the post when it became vacant.
Having updated the EAASP Business Model we are now looking to broaden our membership across law enforcement in Europe. We will also develop a process that will enable academic and selective security industry members (who are actively engaged with European Government and / or law enforcement services) to apply for ‘Associate Membership’ of the organisation. This will be a low cost opportunity for appropriate partners to further their engagement with the EAASP. Further details will supplied shortly.