Federal police officer wins award for system that helps ports prevent piracy and smuggling

After observing the high incidence of crimes in Brazilian ports, such as piracy, drug trafficking, people trafficking and weapons, federal police officer Felipe Scarpelli, 44, used his experience in intelligence to develop a tool that calculates risks at anchorages. The methodology allowed the creation of new protection measures for passengers and port employees.

For the implementation of Aresp (Risk Analysis with Emphasis on Port Security) in more than 200 terminals in the country, Scarpelli won the Espírito Público 2021 Award in the Public Security category, “for believing in the continuous improvement of institutions to guarantee the safety of people”, how the institution justifies the choice.

The public servant explains that due to their economic importance and the great challenge of protecting facilities and water areas, ports are real or potential targets for criminal actions, social movements and terrorist acts, among others.

“More than 90% of Brazil’s wealth, imported and exported goods, pass through port terminals. When we developed Aresp, we applied it in several ports and we noticed that there was no standard in the inspection. Until the approval of this tool, in 2020, each one did their own risk study”, says Scarpelli.

The Aresp methodology is a technical planning tool that assesses the internal and external risks of terminals, developed by Scarpelli in partnership with Conportos (National Commission for Public Safety in Ports, Terminals and Waterways). It was a reference for the Port Security Plan, a document that allows ports to act internationally.

In several stages, which range from consultation with specialists to questionnaires to assess the vulnerabilities of the ports, actions are carried out aimed at the defense and physical security of the place.

“In some terminals, there was a significant need to implement protective measures”, says .

At first, a list of tangible and intangible assets to be protected is made, such as the image. Then there is the analysis of threats to these assets and then the questionnaire.

“It’s an intelligence assessment and investigation to understand where that terminal is installed, what the history of drug and people trafficking is, if there is a risk of terrorism”, says Scarpelli.

The lessons learned from working in two major events in Brazil, the World Cup and the Rio Olympics, served as a lesson for the agent to improve the tool that took two years to develop.

Born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Scarpelli has worked at the PF since 2005. Currently, he works in the coordination of personal protection, developing the risk methodology for the protection of candidates for the Presidency of the Republic.

He explains that the control system at the port terminals is relatively good, but that Aresp gives the opportunity to standardize these procedures, which brings advantages to the public sector.

“It facilitates both the government auditing part and also brings suitability. It serves as a basis for public terminals to have a study to justify investment in protection. It allows for more savings and transparency”, he says.

Previously, each port would hire a company that could use non-transparent methodology and whose security measures were prescriptive, says Scarpelli. In addition, according to him, significant money was charged to carry out this type of analysis.

For a better understanding of the tool, the agent gives a practical example. If it is identified that in a certain area of ​​the port there is constant theft of luggage, it is possible to suggest the installation of banners warning passengers to be extra careful with their bags there.

Scarpelli explains that the risk analysis aims at a balance, since too many protective measures put a stop to the process at the terminal, when there was no real threat that could justify all this protection.

The president of Conportos, Marcelo João da Silva, 50, says that the methodology helped to maintain a clearer and more objective management in the ports. “Before, the problem was not seen. With this standardization, it facilitated the process and the dialogues. It is an auditable tool.”

avoidable contingencies

One of the universally known risks, according to Scarpelli, is the unforeseen. With Aresp, he explains that the impact of the unexpected event for that business is analyzed, whether financial issues or institutional image related to crimes. The tool also gives you the chance to prepare a contingency plan.

“We understand mathematically the probability of a certain event happening in a port terminal, what repercussion it would have on the port and on the institutional image of Brazil. It is a relatively simple procedure, but it has a technical basis.”

Scarpelli cites a port in the Northeast that became a point of drug trafficking, mainly to Europe. There, according to him, the risk analysis was able to verify that there were vulnerabilities that were not treated because there was no such study. The plan was just to comply with a regulation.

“We carry out a risk analysis to understand the context of the terminal in the region and preventively we will act so that the risk does not occur. The focus is preventive.”