8 April 2014 | Comments
Jonathan Holland recently arrived on St Helena to take on the post of Head of HM Customs and Port Control, on a 3 year contract, replacing his predecessor Peter Henderson.
Jonathan will take on a dual role, managing the customs service and the port with a staff of around 20. Jonathan will ensure that Jamestown Wharf complies with the International Ship and Port Facility (ISPS) Code, which prescribes responsibilities to Government, shipping companies, shipboard personnel, and port/facility staff.
Jonathan commented:
“Jamestown wharf does have a management and security plan in place but this needs to be updated regularly to fall in line with day to day operations and international obligations.”
During his week on Island, Jonathan has been taking time to meet all key stakeholders and has observed operations, including the arrival of the RMS St Helena.
Jonathan added:
“There are a lot of things I would like to work on, but my intention is not to turn every process upside down. I would like to incorporate change, but do it in an orderly and gradual fashion. I am not inclined to fix things that are already working, effectively.
“I have been extremely impressed with the HM Customs and Port Control staff. They have an overwhelming loyalty to the section and they are versatile in the job that they do, being in an administrative role and then transferring to a front line law enforcement service when the ship arrives.”
As Jonathan’s experience includes working in the Caribbean and Middle East, he is no stranger to working in a remote location, with the constraints that involves.
He has 31 years’ experience in law enforcement and has worked in nine countries and territories including St Helena. He spent 15 years in policing in the UK, moving on to Border Protection and Immigration. Jonathan has also spent time in Iraq to train Police and Customs and Border Security personnel. He also has experience working in the United States, Canada, Qatar and Abu Dhabi
SHG
8 April 2014
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