Integrated Border Enforcement Teams (IBETs)

Integrated Border Enforcement Team program is a multi-faceted law enforcement initiative comprised of both Canadian and American partners. This bi-national partnership enables the five core law enforcement partners involved in IBETS to share information and work together daily with other local, state and provincial enforcement agencies on issues relating to national security, organized crime and other criminality transiting the Canada/US border between the Ports of Entry (POE).

Today's national IBET partner agencies from Canada and the US are:

• Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
• US Customs and Border Protection/Office of Border Patrol (CBP/OBP)
• US Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
• US Coast Guard

More specifically, IBET is an intelligence-led cooperative that supports national security investigations associated to the Canada/US border and investigates cross-border illegal activities, between the POE. Intelligence is developed and shared with all IBET partners in strict accordance with applicable laws, regulations and Agency/Departmental policies through appropriate protocols. IBET is a cooperative bilateral initiative that ensures borders are open for business, but closed to crime.

IBET Mandate

To enhance border integrity and security at the Canada/United States border by identifying, investigating and interdicting persons and organizations which pose a threat to national security or are engaged in other organized criminal activity. IBETs will incorporate a mobile response capability.

Background

Protecting the Canada/US border from criminality has always been a major focus for law enforcement and public safety agencies on both sides of border.

However, the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 changed the face of national security for both Canada and the United States and as a result, border integrity took on an even greater focus, resulting in, as one example, enhanced law enforcement partnerships between the two countries.

One of the initiatives resulting from this joint commitment was to formalize and mandate the concept of intelligence-led Integrated Border Enforcement Teams (IBETs).

Intelligence-led policing involves the collection and analysis of information to produce a product designed to inform police decision-making at both the operational and strategic levels. It is a model of policing in which intelligence serves as a guide to operations, rather than the reverse. In simpler terms, the analysis of information from all sources leads to the identification of targets and/or activities involved.

On December 21, 2001, Canada and the United States signed the Smart Border Declaration. As a result, the number of IBETs expanded in specific strategic regions/areas along the Canada/US border.