Help protect our waters

Project Kraken is a national police, maritime crime and counter terrorism initiative to protect the waters of the UK. We need your help to let us know about any threats to our ports and coastal waters in Devon and Cornwall.  

When to contact us

If you have witnessed something that makes you suspicious while you are out on the waters of Devon and Cornwall we want to hear about it. 

A small piece of information that you provide, will help us build a bigger picture of behaviour that might be linked to acts of terrorism, serious crime or threats to our borders such as illegal immigration and smuggling. .

Examples of suspicious behaviour

• Someone asking questions about security procedures or who are observed filming/ taking photographs/ making notes or drawing diagrams of: military/ police/ security facilities, vulnerable public areas such as bridges, tourist attractions, shopping, restaurant or passenger processing, embarkation/disembarkation routes at cruise ship, ferry terminals or docking facilities
• Someone giving evasive answers to common boating questions; or deliberate attempts to avoid contact with others or to draw attention.
• Someone with a lack of or inappropriate equipment and knowledge of the maritime environment.
• Insertion of strange objects into the waterways near bridges, pipes or critical infrastructure at unusual times or without normal support.
• Vessels entering designated maritime restricted areas (e.g. next to nuclear power plants, airports etc.) or fisherman in non-typical locations.
• Suspicious characters or rentals. Someone asking to alter the usual route or trip a charter takes.
• Inappropriate large cash payments, daily extension of marina or port mooring.
• Efforts to gain employment at sensitive sites or with outside agencies who have access to potential targets.
• Deliberate recording of departure/docking procedures to include loading and off-loading of vehicles.
• Someone filming the security procedures or ID checks at a ferry terminal.
• Suspicious craft in close proximity to vessels underway and at the docking facility.
• Attempts to abandon a vehicle onboard a ferry and walk ashore.
• Someone making consecutive round trips on the same ferry.