The procurement of thirty two-way radios that filled in a vacuum for the officers in charge of external borders. These two-way radios are not only more efficient but cheaper to run and more durable than any other means of telecommunication. These radios facilitate the work of officers during surveillance since they can communicate with a group of people at a time at no cost and have a longer range of reception.
The procurement of thirty hand held biometric devices that facilitate the work of external borders officials that need to cross check fingerprints and passports to the national and international stop lists without the need to have a computer or internet connection since they work with 3G system. In having acquired these devices not only there is mobility but efficiency since illegal residents can be screened and documents scanned on the spot without any waste of time which is crucial in these situations.
In 2013 the NS-SIS Unit proposed two projects under the EBF. The first project had two primarily areas. The first was to connect the existing Border Control System as to be able to compare and send VISA fingerprints of Third Country Nationals arriving in Malta. This part was completed during November 2014. The second area consisted of the acquisition of 37 workstations complete with fingerprint scanners and passport readers. These workstations will be deployed in conjunction with the Border Control system and for Border Control application training at the Police Academy; together with the necessity to equip new areas of identified new port of entry within the islands.
The second project focused on the NS-SIS Unit main building and sought to modernize and equip the Data Centre were EU and Border Control systems are run, monitored and maintained on a daily basis by the same NS-SIS Unit members. The project included: turnkey solutions within the main building; Security and Health and Safety infrastructure enhancements; and the purchasing of Information Technology and Communications equipment. Such measures and acquisitions have been based on international standards to achieve the highest possible performance of technology and respect for the persons working within the department.
The last but not least was the Advance Passenger Information System known as APIS project. This is considered to be the biggest project approved under the EBF. The APIS is considered to be one of the most advanced systems in aviation and maritime security. The project focuses on the purchase and installation of an Advanced Passenger Information System (API) to collect and retrieve all data from airline systems as well as sea carrier systems. The API System will help enable perform risk-based targeted controls on passengers prior to their arrival in Malta in line with Legal Notice 360 of 2007 (European Union Act Cap. 460) Communication of Passenger Data by Air Carriers Order, 2007, transposed EU Directive 2004/82/EC. The API System will enhance border security by providing police and immigration officers with pre-arrival and departure manifest data of passengers and crew members. This will allow the Maltese authorities to check thousands of passengers travelling on various airlines and sea carriers against lists of unauthorized or undesirable persons which also include lists of wanted persons, lists of lost and stolen passport etc. In this regards, the API system will help prevent crimes related to immigration such as organised crime, terrorism and other serious crimes. This will also reduce the number of people that have to be repatriated since the system will alert us before the person can embark his/her means of transportation.