Official Control Research Articles

Data-driven prediction model for pollution prevention deficiencies on ships

Preventing ship-related environmental pollution is one of the most important concerns of the maritime industry. This research developed a machine learning-based model to detect pollution prevention deficiencies in detained ships to address critical environmental regulations and enhance maritime safety. To develop predictive model, the Random Forest algorithm was performed on the port state control report of 4056 detained ships in the Tokyo MoU region between 2019 and 2023. Quantitative analysis revealed that the port state conducting the inspection was the most impactful variable on the model, affecting its accuracy significantly due to diverse enforcement standards. Deficiency number was the second important variable. The analysis also revealed that ship type and size had above-average effect on the model. The Random Forest model achieved the highest accuracy of 72.43 % compared to other algorithms. Following the predictive modeling, Association Rule Mining was utilized to uncover and delineate implicit relationships among the identified deficiency areas, thus deepening our analysis of pollution prevention strategies. The Random Forest algorithm has high accuracy and robustness in models developed for big data and is resistant to overfitting, and the Apriori algorithm can extract hidden and complex relationships in the data faster and more easily interpretable were the main reasons for the selection of these algorithms. The Apriori algorithm analysis identified critical deficiency areas linked to pollution prevention—namely fire safety, certificate/documentation, ISM, emergency systems, and life-saving appliances—with these areas appearing in most of the rules with high metric values, thus highlighting common compliance gaps. The findings can help port authorities and port state control officers prioritize inspections of ships most likely to be non-compliant, thereby effectively reducing pollution prevention risk and inspection times and costs. Therefore, the measures to be taken may prevent ship-related pollution and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially related to marine resources.

Methodological improvements for studying face matching in border control tasks

AbstractBorder control officers must decide whether passport images match their holders. In previous research on passport verification most participants have been more willing to report nonmatching passports than is likely to occur in practice. We designed an experimental paradigm to increase participants' motivation to avoid these types of errors in passport verification. Participants decided whether passport photographs matched ambient photographs of passport holders. Most passports matched their holders and nonmatching passports were rare. All participants received feedback on their passport verification decisions, and an experimental group also received a time‐consuming consequence if they made an error. Relative to the control condition that only received feedback, consequences were effective in reducing mistaken accusations of nonmatching passports. Consequences also increased the miss rate for nonmatching passports, but the increase in misses over the control condition was not significant. We conclude that consequences can make participants behave more like real border control officers.

A Handheld Tool for the Rapid Morphological Identification of Mosquito Species (VectorCam) for Community-Based Malaria Vector Surveillance: Summative Usability Study.

Malaria impacts nearly 250 million individuals annually. Specifically, Uganda has one of the highest burdens, with 13 million cases and nearly 20,000 deaths. Controlling the spread of malaria relies on vector surveillance, a system where collected mosquitos are analyzed for vector species' density in rural areas to plan interventions accordingly. However, this relies on trained entomologists known as vector control officers (VCOs) who identify species via microscopy. The global shortage of entomologists and this time-intensive process cause significant reporting delays. VectorCam is a low-cost artificial intelligence-based tool that identifies a mosquito's species, sex, and abdomen status with a picture and sends these results electronically from surveillance sites to decision makers, thereby deskilling the process to village health teams (VHTs). This study evaluates the usability of the VectorCam system among VHTs by assessing its efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction. The VectorCam system has imaging hardware and a phone app designed to identify mosquito species. Two users are needed: (1) an imager to capture images of mosquitos using the app and (2) a loader to load and unload mosquitos from the hardware. Critical success tasks for both roles were identified, which VCOs used to train and certify VHTs. In the first testing phase (phase 1), a VCO and a VHT were paired to assume the role of an imager or a loader. Afterward, they swapped. In phase 2, two VHTs were paired, mimicking real use. The time taken to image each mosquito, critical errors, and System Usability Scale (SUS) scores were recorded for each participant. Overall, 14 male and 6 female VHT members aged 20 to 70 years were recruited, of which 12 (60%) participants had smartphone use experience. The average throughput values for phases 1 and 2 for the imager were 70 (SD 30.3) seconds and 56.1 (SD 22.9) seconds per mosquito, respectively, indicating a decrease in the length of time for imaging a tray of mosquitos. The loader's average throughput values for phases 1 and 2 were 50.0 and 55.7 seconds per mosquito, respectively, indicating a slight increase in time. In terms of effectiveness, the imager had 8% (6/80) critical errors and the loader had 13% (10/80) critical errors in phase 1. In phase 2, the imager (for VHT pairs) had 14% (11/80) critical errors and the loader (for VHT pairs) had 12% (19/160) critical errors. The average SUS score of the system was 70.25, indicating positive usability. A Kruskal-Wallis analysis demonstrated no significant difference in SUS (H value) scores between genders or users with and without smartphone use experience. VectorCam is a usable system for deskilling the in-field identification of mosquito specimens in rural Uganda. Upcoming design updates will address the concerns of users and observers.

Coxiella burnetii: A Brief Summary of the Last Five Years of Its Presence in the Abruzzo and Molise Regions in Italy.

Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever. The main reservoirs for this bacterium, which can lead to human infection, in our region are typically cattle, goats, and sheep. In animals, C. burnetii infection is often detected due to reproductive problems. European Member States are required to report confirmed cases annually, but the lack of uniform reporting methods makes the data rather inconsistent. The Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise is involved in official controls to identify the causes of abortions, monitor suspected or positive herds, evaluate suspected infections in pets and humans, monitor the spread in wildlife, etc. In this paper, we summarize the presence of C. burnetii over the last five years (2019-2023). Additionally, a detailed overview of C. burnetii infection in wild and domestic animals is provided. Five hundred sixty animals-including cattle; goats; sheep; wild animals, such as deer, boars, wolves, roe deer, owls, and otters; buffalo; dogs; horses; cats; and a donkey-and six human samples were tested by real-time PCR on the transposase gene IS1111 to detect C. burnetii. The MST profile was identified in some of the samples. Outbreaks of C. burnetii occurred in four herds. In one of them, it was possible to follow the outbreak from inception to eradication by evaluating the effect of vaccination on real-time PCR Ct values. A total of 116 animals tested positive for C. burnetii, including 73 goats, 42 sheep, and one bovine. None of the other samples tested positive. The strains for which the ST was performed were identified as ST79, a strain that has been present in the area for more than ten years. The effect of vaccination on the reduction of positive samples and the variation of real-time PCR Ct values was evaluated in strict correlation.

Terror attacks : Recommendations for cooperation between police, hospitals and non-police security services

The risk of terrorist attacks in the Federal Republic of Germany is present and is currently increasing. Publicly funded acute care hospitals and their owners are involved in disaster control as part of their remit and are responsible for taking comprehensive precautions to ensure their operational capability in the event of disasters. This mandate must also be ensured in the event of terrorist attacks and amok incidents. For this purpose, an optimal cooperation between preclinical and clinical care is indispensable. Recommended actions for collaboration between nonclinical and clinical planning to manage amass casualty incident in terrorist life-threatening response situations are presented. The Inter-Hospital Security Conference Baden-Württemberg (IHSC BW) is an association of representatives of acute hospitals in Baden-Württemberg, the Ministry of the Interior, Digitalization and Migration Baden-Württemberg, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration Baden-Württemberg, the State Police Headquarters Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg Hospital Association. From 2018 to 2020, the IHSC BW developed recommendations for action on cooperation between police, hospitals and non-police emergency response. The recommendations for action were agreed by the group members in 6 working sessions and initialled in two subsequent video conferences. Arecommendation was considered adopted when the IHSC BW plenary assembly finally gave its approval with an absolute majority. Competence-based interface solutions for asmooth cooperation between prehospital and hospital management in the care of patients who have become victims of aterrorist attack are to be demanded. For preliminary planning, the establishment of alocal safety conference at the county disaster control authority level with the following participants is recommended: disaster control authority, fire department, regional police headquarters, chief emergency physician, rescue services and disaster control officers of affected clinics. It is recommended to set up ajoint command and situation center (CSC), where management personnel from the police, rescue service, fire department and disaster control can meet to organize the handling of the incident jointly, competently and without loss of time. From this CSC, aliaison officer should then provide the clinics with information at regular intervals. Exercises should take place regularly. Cross-organizational exercises are particularly important, and this is one of the tasks of the local safety conference.

Analisis Penanganan dan Kendala Petugas Load Control dalam Membuat Weight And Balance pada Pesawat Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 Di PT JAS Bandar Udara Internasional Soekarno Hatta Cengkareng

Load Control is a unit responsible for receiving and analyzing aircraft data and locals from various sources to ensure optimal aircraft balance with reference to safety and economical operation aspects. The purpose of this study is to understand the handling, challenges, and efforts of Load Control officers in creating the Weight and Balance for Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 at PT JAS Soekarno Hatta Internasional Airport. The research method used in this study is descriptive qualitative, utilizing primary data (interviews and observations) and secondary data (documentation) in the from of Standard Operating Prosedures (SOP). Data analysis is conducted, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions. The result of the study at Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Cengkareng, show that Load Control officers have carried out the Weight and Balance for Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 in accordance with the specified Standard Operating Prosedures (SOP), especially in handling cargo that requires special attention. The challenges faced in creating Weight and Balance include ineffective communication between units, system disruptions or system down, and overload issues that can affect flight On The Performance. Efforts to address these challenges by Load Control officers include adhering to Standard Operating Prosedures (SOP), improving communication, and coordinating with various related parties to achieve On The Performance..

Pengaruh Motivasi Kerja Terhadap Kepuasan Kerja Pegawai pada Dinas Pemberdayaan Perempuan, Perlindungan Anak, Pengendalian Penduduk dan Keluarga Berencana (DP3AP2KB) Kecamatan Wawo

This research aims to determine the significant influence of work motivation on employee job satisfaction at the women's empowerment, child protection, population control and family planning (DP3AP2KB) office in Wawo sub-district. This research is included in the category of associative population research. This research uses all employees at the women's empowerment, child protection, population control and family planning (DP3AP2KB) office in Wawo sub-district, totaling 55 employees. The research technique used is saturated samples. The instrument in this research is a questionnaire with a liter scale. Observation data collection techniques, questionnaires, literature study. The data analysis technique uses a validity test, a reliability test and then processed using SPSS. The results of the research show that work motivation has a significant effect on employee job satisfaction at the women's empowerment, child protection, population control and family planning (DP3AP2KB) office in Wawo sub-district.

Decoding Seafood: Multi-Marker Metabarcoding for Authenticating Processed Seafood.

Given the recognized nutritional value of fish and shifting consumer lifestyles, processed seafood has become increasingly prevalent, comprising a significant portion of global food production. Although current European Union labeling regulations do not require species declaration for these products, food business operators often voluntarily provide this information on ingredient lists. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) approaches are currently the most effective methods for verifying the accuracy of species declarations on processed seafood labels. This study examined the species composition of 20 processed seafood products, each labeled as containing a single species, using two DNA metabarcoding markers targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and 16S rRNA genes. The combined use of these markers revealed that the majority of the products contained multiple species. Furthermore, two products were found to be mislabeled, as the declared species were not detected. These findings underscore that NGS is a robust technique that could be adopted to support routine food industry activities and official control programs, thereby enhancing the 'From Boat to Plate' strategy and combating fraudulent practices in the complex fisheries supply chain.

Comparative assessment of three commercial kits and in house optimized PCR assays for GMO screening in food and feed

Screening strategies for GMO detection in food and feed are a crucial aspect in GMO testing laboratories for streamlining the analytical workflow and reducing turnaround time and costs. These strategies can be more or less complex or even be targeted according to the ingredients in the product, but whatever the choice, a good basic approach is generally based on the search for 35S promoter (P35S), nos-terminator (T-nos) and FMV promoter (P-FMV). In this study, we compare the singleplex real time PCR method for P35S, T-nos and P-FMV detection currently adopted by the Italian National Reference Laboratory for GM food and feed (NRL) with three commercial kits available on the market for giving a greater choice to consider the best approach suitable to the official control laboratories that are different from each other.•The NRL optimized singleplex PCR methods and the three commercial kits fully respect all the validation parameters criteria according to the minimum performance requirements (MPR) of ENGL [1]•Screening strategies for GMO detection in food and feed are a crucial aspect in GMO testing laboratories and being the commercial kits different from each other, the laboratory can choose the methods best suit their needs reducing turnaround time and costs.

Molecular monitoring of Dinophysis species assemblage in mussel farms in the Northwestern Adriatic Sea

Several Dinophysis species can produce potent lipophilic toxins that pose a risk to human health when contaminated seafood is consumed, especially filter-feeding bivalve mussels. In the mussel farms of the Northwestern Adriatic Sea, seawater and seafood are regularly monitored for the presence of Dinophysis species and their associated toxins, but the current methodological approaches, such as light microscopy determinations, require a long time to make results available to local authorities. A molecular qPCR-based assay can be used to quantify various toxic Dinophysis species in a shorter timeframe. However, this approach is not currently employed in official testing activities. In this study, field samples were collected monthly or bi-weekly over one year from various mussel farms along the Northwestern Adriatic coast. The abundance of Dinophysis species in the seawater was determined using both traditional microscopy and qPCR assays. In addition, the concentration of lipophilic toxins for DSP in mussel flesh was quantified using LC-MS/MS focusing on the okadaic acid group. Dinophysis spp. site-specific single cells were isolated and analysed by qPCR yielding a mean rDNA copy number per cell of 1.21 × 104 ± 1.81 × 103. The qPCR assay gave an efficiency of 98 % and detected up to 10 copies of the rDNA target gene. The qPCR and light microscopy determinations in environmental samples showed a significant positive correlation (Spearman rs = 0.57, p-value < 0.001) with a ratio of 2.24 between the two quantification methods, indicating that light microscopy estimates were generally 44.6 % lower than those obtained by the qPCR assay. The qPCR approach showed several advantages such as rapidity, sensitivity and efficiency over conventional microscopy analysis, showing its potential future role in phytoplankton monitoring under the Official Controls Regulations for shellfish.

Italian adaptation to Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on food official controls: a case study

Foodborne diseases can be prevented by implementing a food safety system that manages food chain risks from producer to end-user, from a One Health perspective. In 2017, the European Parliament and the European Council adopted Regulation No. 625 on official food controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed laws and rules on animal health and welfare, plant health, and plant protection products. Italy issued a national law, Legislative Decree No. 27/2021, to adapt and adhere to European standards. We aim to describe the adoption and implementation of the new Legislative Decree by an Italian Food Hygiene and Nutrition Service, specifically focusing on the amendments introduced by Articles 7 and 8, namely the establishment of the second expert opinion and dispute procedures, and their integration with the promulgation of Article 70 of Legislative Decree No. 150/2022. These modifications aim to reduce the number of minor offenses that proceed to trial.

The "Dry-Lab" Side of Food Authentication: Benchmark of Bioinformatic Pipelines for the Analysis of Metabarcoding Data.

Next Generation Sequencing Technologies (NGS), particularly metabarcoding, are valuable tools for authenticating foodstuffs and detecting eventual fraudulent practices such as species substitution. This technique, mostly used for the analysis of prokaryotes in several environments (including food), is in fact increasingly applied to identify eukaryotes (e.g., fish, mammals, avian, etc.) in multispecies food products. Besides the "wet-lab" procedures (e.g., DNA extraction, PCR, amplicon purification, etc.), the metabarcoding workflow includes a final "dry-lab" phase in which sequencing data are analyzed using a bioinformatic pipeline (BP). BPs play a crucial role in the accuracy, reliability, and interpretability of the metabarcoding results. Choosing the most suitable BP for the analysis of metabarcoding data could be challenging because it might require greater informatics skills than those needed in standard molecular analysis. To date, studies comparing BPs for metabarcoding data analysis in foodstuff authentication are scarce. In this study, we compared the data obtained from two previous studies in which fish burgers and insect-based products were authenticated using a customizable, ASV-based, and command-line interface BP (BP1) by analyzing the same data with a customizable but OTU-based and graphical user interface BP (BP2). The final sample compositions were compared statistically. No significant difference in sample compositions was highlighted by applying BP1 and BP2. However, BP1 was considered as more user-friendly than BP2 with respect to data analysis streamlining, cost of analysis, and computational time consumption. This study can provide useful information for researchers approaching the bioinformatic analysis of metabarcoding data for the first time. In the field of food authentication, an effective and efficient use of BPs could be especially useful in the context of official controls performed by the Competent Authorities and companies' self-control in order to detect species substitution and counterfeit frauds.

A Research Study on Shift Work Fatigue of Air Operations Control Officer

A Research Study on Shift Work Fatigue of Air Operations Control Officer

Simultaneous Determination of Animal Products from Ruminant, Pig, Poultry, and Fish in Feedingstuff by Targeted High-Resolution LC-MS/MS.

The prohibition of processed animal proteins (PAPs) has been relaxed gradually since 2007. The official control method for PAPs in feedingstuff, a combination of light microscopy (LM) followed by PCR, is no longer sufficient. Thus, a targeted LC-MS/MS method was developed, which enables a tissue-specific distinction between egg and dairy products, gelatine, and PAPs derived from blood or muscle tissue of the species ruminants, pigs, poultry, and fish. Tissue-specific proteins were analyzed after tryptic digestion to peptides with high-resolution ESI-QTOF-MS. A targeted method was developed based on untargeted proteomics approaches and the selection of specific peptides (45 unique peptides in total). Proficiency testing of blank and spiked samples revealed excellent results for trueness and selectivity. Furthermore, sensitivity was achieved at a level of 0.1% (w/w) for assessed peptides. Summing up, the developed method seems to be suitable for routine analysis after verification by ring trials.

Next Generation Sequencing Technologies for the analysis of a poorly investigated foodstuff: mushroom products authentication by metabarcoding

Multi-species mushroom-based products (MPs) sold in Italy were authenticated by metabarcoding (MB). One degenerated primer pair was projected for the ITS-1 region amplification. The final data were interpreted using positive controls and extraction blanks. Sequences of macrofungi, microfungi and bacteria were detected in 100%, 90.9% and 77.3% of the MPs, respectively. Not edible and toxic macrofungi were also found, although in low sequence amount. The match between species declared on MPs label and species detected by MB was 59.1%. Cases of voluntary species substitution cannot be excluded. Methods to authenticate these products, still poorly investigated, should be further employed, and MB protocol should be standardized to be used in the context of both official control and companies’ self-control. Alternative approaches should be considered for canned and frozen MPs, in virtue of the observed DNA fragmentation.

Levels, profiles and human exposure of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in dust from subway stations

For the first time, the pollution characteristics of eight organophosphate esters (OPEs) in dust from staff workspaces of subway stations were investigated in China. Dust samples were collected from ten stations, covering six rooms at each station, including offices, meeting rooms, dressing rooms, control rooms, equipment rooms and platforms within tunnels. The detection rates for seven compounds ranged from 68 % to 97 %, indicating widespread contamination. The median concentration of ∑OPEs was 23.31 μg/g, which was higher than that found in houses but not as high as that reported for station platforms and vehicle cabins. TnBP, TDCIPP and TEHP were identified as the predominant compounds, with concentrations ranging from 2.63 to 3.65 μg/g. The spatial distribution results revealed highly comparable concentrations in control rooms and offices but different profiles. Despite spatial separation between sampling sites, correlation analysis indicated strong links between tunnels and other sections of stations, suggesting the source consistency. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) results revealed that equipment shells, insulating rubber and cable jackets were major sources for control rooms and platforms within tunnels; oil-related sources influenced equipment rooms; and plastic decorations served as the main sources for station offices, dressing and meeting rooms. The hazard quotients (HQs, or noncarcinogenic risk) of ∑OPEs via ingestion and dermal contact for staff were all in the range of 10−4-10−2. Although the HQ levels were below the USEPA threshold, the occupational exposure risks through ingestion and dermal contact were greater than those in building environments and vehicle cabins.

Climate Effects on Ergot and Ergot Alkaloids Occurrence in Italian Wheat.

In recent years, there has been an intensification of weather variability worldwide as a result of climate change. Some regions have been affected by drought, while others have experienced more intense rainfall. The incidence and severity of moldy grain and mycotoxin contamination during the growing and harvesting seasons have increased as a result of these weather conditions. Additionally, torrential rains and wet conditions may cause delays in grain drying, leading to mold growth in the field. In July 2023, a wheat field in Lecco (Lombardy, Italy) was affected by torrential rains that led to the development of the Claviceps fungi. In the field, dark sclerotia were identified on some ears. Wheat ears, kernels, and sclerotia were collected and analyzed by LC-MS/MS at IZSLER, Food Chemical Department, in Bologna. The wheat ears, kernels, and sclerotia were analyzed for 12 ergot alkaloids (EAs) according to (EU) Regulation 2023/915 (ergocornine/ergocorninine; ergocristine/ergocristinine; ergocryptine/ergocryptinine; ergometrine/ergometrinine; ergosine/ergosinine; ergotamine/ergotaminine), after QuEChERS (Z-Sep/C18) purification. The analyzed sclerotia showed significant differences in total alkaloid content that vary between 0.01 and 0.5% (w/w), according to the results of the 2017 EFSA scientific report. EAs detected in sclerotia were up to 4951 mg/kg, in wheat ears up to 33 mg/kg, and in kernels were 1 mg/kg. Additional mycotoxins, including ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisins, T2-HT2 toxins, and aflatoxins, were investigated in wheat kernels after purification with immunoaffinity columns (IAC). The analysis revealed the presence of deoxynivalenol in wheat kernels at a concentration of 2251 µg/kg. It is expected that climate change will increase the frequency of extreme weather events. In order to mitigate the potential risks associated with mycotoxin-producing fungi and to ensure the protection of human health, it is suggested that official controls be implemented in the field.

Effectiveness of official food safety control in Barcelona city: Digital and traditional inspections

Analysing the effects of using a digital environment in official food safety control and understanding its benefits is crucial for competent authorities. The aim of this paper was to assess the effectiveness of official control carried out by the Barcelona Public Health Agency between 2015 and 2022 in Barcelona city (Spain) at retail outlets following the transition from a traditional to a digital inspection. Effectiveness is defined as the ability to detect non-compliance during inspections. This study assessed 2,188 inspection reports of risk-based planned inspections from 2015 to 2019 (traditional inspection) and 2022 (digital inspection) to compare the detection of non-compliances. The results show a significant increase in the detection of non-compliance when using the digital inspection. Compared to all inspection areas studied, the highest prevalence difference in the detection of non-compliance using a digital environment was found for the areas of food processing and handling procedures (34.0%) and own controls (16.7%). On the other hand, the areas of food labelling and general cleanliness of premises and equipment showed the lowest difference, 11.1% and 7.9%, respectively. The present case study shows that the use of a digital environment during inspections positively supports the control officers in structuring the compliance judgement and being more sensible to detect non-compliance. This fact results in a greater effectiveness of food control.

Theoretical design of blockchain-based traceability for organic egg supply chains according to regulation (EU) 2018/848.

The use of blockchain technology to establish food traceability chains has the potential to provide transparent information of food stuffs along the entire supply chain and also aid in the documentation or even execution of official food control processes. Particularly in instances where analytical methodologies cannot provide definitive data for food control questions under study, the certificate-based approach of a traceability chain may offer a way of regulatory control for state authorities. Given the rising importance of organic produce and the high share of eggs among the organic produce in the European Union as well as the new EU regulation on organic products and labelling that came into force in 2022, we analyze here how the control of egg production type and marketing standards can be represented within a blockchain-based traceability chain such as to maximize the traceability in compliance with the current relevant EU regulations. Intended for the use by the official food control authorities, a traceability chain for organically produced eggs in the EU would need to be implemented as a permissioned blockchain, since only select entities are allowed to participate. By combining a proof of authority consensus mechanism with issuance of soulbound tokens, we effectively suggest a 'proof of soulbound authority' consensus process. The soulbound tokens are issued throughout the administrative chain from the European Commission down to the official food control authorities in individual member states that ultimately certify the control bodies for organic produce. Despite the general limitation of not providing unambiguous proof of the organic status of individual products, the concept discussed here offers advantages with respect to allocation of authority at EU level and therefore might have positive effects beyond the traceability chain.

The Secret Intelligence Service, Passport Control and Jewish Refugees from the Third Reich, 1938–1939

Abstract The role of members of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in helping Jewish refugees flee Nazi persecution in the 1930s has garnered wide interest. It has been claimed that SIS officers, in their cover role as Passport Control Officers (PCOs), helped ‘save’ thousands of Jews from the Third Reich by issuing immigration visas. The focus, however, has been on individual SIS officers, rather than the collective effort of the many passport control staff involved in issuing visas. There has also been a tendency to devolve the matter into a process of producing crude balance sheets of numbers of Jews ‘saved’. This article seeks to understand how SIS came to exploit passport control work as cover for its activities and to assess the impact of the refugee crisis on SIS operations. It also aims to make sense of some of the statistics regarding visas issued by individuals such as Captain Frank Foley and Captain Thomas Kendrick, identifying some wild over-estimates. The article suggests that the humanitarian work carried out by SIS/PCO personnel should not be rendered as a competition as to who ‘saved’ the most refugees. It is important to research the subject forensically without a partisan attitude towards the personalities involved in order to uncover the truth and understand what happened.