It should be noted that the Port of Dover Police is entirely funded by the Dover Harbour Board. The Dover Harbour Board nominates individuals who may be appointed as constables by justices of the peace and thereafter enjoy full constabulary powers and privileges within the jurisdiction of the Port of Dover Police. The Dover Harbour Board is not a public authority and as such is not bound by the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. However, Schedule 1, Part V, of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 does impose certain obligations upon the Dover Harbour Board to make information available if it relates to the functions of a constable

What is the Publication Scheme for?

The purpose of the Publication Scheme is to let you know what information is readily available about the Port Of Dover Police and make it simple to obtain. Our publication scheme is based on the model publication scheme for bodies only covered for certain information and covers only information about the functions for which the organisation is a public authority.

The scheme allows us to do two things:

Enable the public to understand what information we hold and what they are entitled to an make it easy to access the information, either directly or via an FOI request.

The Publication Scheme:

• sets out the classes of information which we publish or intend to publish
• states how we will publish the information in each class
• states if we will provide the information free or charge for it

 Information classes

The Freedom of Information Act requires us to publish information under certain headings, termed ‘classes’. Only information that meets the Act’s definitions and descriptions are placed within the classes.

Who we are and What we do:

The Port of Dover Police is an independent non-home office police force that is entirely privately funded. Port of Dover Police complies with all national legislation and guidance that is applicable to all police forces.

Port of Dover Police Officers are nominated and appointed as ‘special constables’ under section 79 of the Harbours, Docks and Piers clauses Act of 1847 which was subsequently modified by Part IV of the Dover Harbour Revision Order 2006 (S.I. 2167) and section 7 of the Marine Navigation Act 2013. Once appointed, the Officers have full constabulary powers on any land owned by Dover Harbour Board and at any place within one mile from any owned land. This is still the legal authority used today, however, the Marine Navigation Act 2013 recently extended the jurisdiction of Port Constables to anywhere within England and Wales for “policing purposes connected with the Port Constable’s police area”, subject to the consent from the Chief Officer of police for the police area in which the Port Constable is acting.

Schedule 1, Part V, Section 64 of the Freedom of Information Act which applies to:-

Any person who

(a)       By virtue of any enactment has the function of nominating individuals who may be appointed as special constables by Justices of the Peace, and,

(b)       Is not a public authority by virtue of any other provision of the Act, in respect of information relating to the exercise by any person appointed on his nomination of the functions of a special constable.

This section has the effect of applying the responsibility under the Freedom of Information Act to the Dover Harbour Board (The Port Authority who nominate and subsequently fund the Port of Dover Police), but the said responsibility is only to disclose information, if available, that relates to the functions of a constable, the obligation is no wider than that. In addition, the Dover Harbour Board is not a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act and as such is not bound by the general requirements of the Act.

Port of Dover Police officers have the same powers, protections and privileges as all other constables throughout the United Kingdom