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Marine Enforcement and Prosecution Policy
The Bristol Port Company, in its capacity as Competent Harbour Authority (CHA) for the Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Docks, is responsible for the effective enforcement of its byelaws and directions. The enforcement system comprises active monitoring of compliance combined with a variety of punitive measures that are applied in proportion to the severity of any breach of these byelaws and directions. A key facet of the enforcement policy is actively to pursue prosecutions where the severity of the breach warrants it. This is supported by a range of lesser tools to respond to all levels of non–compliance.
In the case of minor breaches, the CHA will discuss the requirements laid out by its directions with offenders, providing the opportunity to take remedial action. Where a persistent offender is identified, the CHA may issue a formal warning. Ultimately, the CHA will resort to prosecution. In the event of prosecutions being deemed appropriate the CHA will utilize the knowledge and skills of the Port of Bristol Police to ensure compliance with legislation. Where the circumstances warrant it, prosecution without prior warning or recourse to alternative sanctions will be pursued. However, it should be noted that the CHA will only prosecute where there is a realistic prospect of conviction. Such prosecutions are generally presented to the court by the Crown Prosecution Service. Appropriate records of all enforcement actions are retained for audit and verification and procedures reviewed in the light of any findings.