Seized! The Border and Customs uncovered at Merseyside Maritime Museum (Image: Gareth Jones)
When: 29th September 2018, 11am – 4pm
Where: Merseyside Maritime Museum, Albert Dock, Liverpool Waterfront, Liverpool L3 4AQ
£: Free admission
What is it?
On Saturday 29th September, head to the Merseyside Maritime Museum for a day of free family activities linked to the collections in the Seized! The Border and Customs uncovered gallery.
Visitors will have the opportunity to meet some of the Border Force teams – including the sniffer dogs – and discover the fascinating work that goes into protecting our borders. See the sniffer dog team in action with demonstrations highlighting their important role in drug detection, and in protecting our ports and airports.
There will be the chance to hold live snakes, tortoises and lizards, while finding out about the illegal trade in smuggling endangered species. Find out why some species have become endangered and what the Border Force are doing to combat it.
There are a variety of ways people smuggle endangered animals and plants into the country. See some unique wild life specimens and meet National Wildlife Crimes Unit’s specialist investigator, Andy McWilliam.
There will also be a Border Force Rummage Team demonstration aboard MV Brocklebank; Merseyside Maritime Museum’s restored tug boat. See Border Force’s own tractor truck unit and a Ford Kuga car, both specially adapted with hiding space to smuggle goods and seized at the port of Dover.
Snake handling at the museum
Meet the officers from the Forgery Detection Team who specialise in spotting forged documents which can be used to enter the country illegally. Join the Fakes Team and find out where counterfeit goods come from, what the risks of buying substandard goods are. Can you spot a fake?
Seized! is the National Museum of Border Force. It highlights their work in protecting us against some of today’s most organised and dangerous criminals. It includes stories about the fight against people trafficking, and the smuggling of drugs, weapons and counterfeit goods.
Opened in 2008, the museum can be found in the basement of Merseyside Maritime Museum. There is no other museum of this kind in Britain and it offers a unique perspective on protecting the UK’s border.
More info: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/seized