Visit to P&O Customs at Portsmouth
P & O Ferry "Pride of Bilbao"
The Link Group visited the P&O European Ferries Customs Terminal for a tour, led by Richard Spurgeon.
We started off by having a quick talk about what things they do there. Then we were all given luminous yellow customs officers jackets, so that we wouldn't look too suspicious. We then started the tour by walking around the P&O site (diving between moving holiday traffic), right up towards one of the docked ships.
We then wandered around further to see some of the freight cargo, (checking for illegal immigrants). We then moved back into the main customs office, where we saw the area where vehicles are searched.
After this we were then split up into two separate groups for a look around the building, where we saw where the prison cells were, and where people are searched and questioned. When we all went back, we had the chance to look at boxes of seized illegal items, full of interesting things.
After the tour was finished we had to walk out into the main area where foot passengers walk through from docked ferries. And as there was a ferry which had just come in, the people walking through the building gave us lots of very funny looks as we walked out (as if we would do anything wrong)!!!
written by Craig Handy
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