SAULT STE MARIE – September 6, 2013 – From September 4-6, the RCMP’s maritime unit in Sault Ste Marie – Ontario and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) station in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan conducted a joint law enforcement patrol along the St. Marys River. This collaborative program is part of the Integrated Cross-Border Maritime Law Enforcement Operations (ICMLEO) known as Canada-U.S. Shiprider.
As a result of the three-day operations, several vessels were stopped and boarded by specially trained and designated members of the USCG and RCMP.
Cross-border crime is a two-way challenge that has implications for both Canadian and U.S. citizens. Shiprider removes jurisdictional road blocks associated with an international border. It allows specially trained and cross designated Canadian and American law enforcement to work side by side while under the direct supervision of the host country officer.
"Criminals can no longer exploit jurisdictional weakness at the border," said Commander Ryan Griffin of United States Coast Guard. “The Shiprider program is another innovative partnership that contributes to enhance our efficiency and provides a better use of our mutual resources”.
“As time goes on, Canadians can expect to encounter more and more Shiprider vessels on the waterways on both sides of the border”, said Assistant Commissioner Todd Shean. “Exercises such as the one performed in the past few days demonstrate that removing the maritime barrier leads to successful law enforcement and increased security for all of us.”
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