4 scanners for PoS port
CUSTOMS and Excise would be adding four mobile container scanners that would become operational within the next two months.
The scanners would be used for locating narcotics, arms and ammunitions and explosives as goods arrive in the country.
Customs would also be acquiring six more sniffer dogs to assist its officers in detecting these contraband, and they should be here by August or September.
This was revealed by a senior official at the promotion ceremony yesterday for Customs and Excise officers II to officers III at the New Customs House, Ajax Street, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain.
According to the senior officer, there would also be an addition of 50 officers by the end of the year to counter some of the challenges faced by Customs and Excise. There was now a staff of about 250 officers.
Asked about complaints made against Customs about delays in clearing goods, the official said were mainly due to the incompetence of brokers and clerks who held up the system.
“When they hold up the system, they push the blame on Customs. We operate 24 hours on-line where you can stay at home and file the Customs declarations. It is called self-assessment. The broker or clerk can assess how much duty and taxes you have to pay.
Piarco is a 24-hour station where you can go and pay duties and taxes and clear the goods. I don’t know what is keeping them (brokers) back,” the official said.
Speaking to the newly promoted officers, Comptroller of Customs and Excise, Ammar Samaroo, said the environment the Customs administration faced today was far different to that of 20 years ago.
He said the global value chain was expanding and there was increased passenger flow. “Customs officers now have to deal with new issues such as transfer pricing, counterfeit goods, human trafficking, money laundering and counter terrorism,” he said.
Samaroo said new products with state of the art technology were coming on stream into the market, and at times caused confusion with classification.
He said such situations could not be addressed separately, but they had to work as one entity to come up with solutions.
“We are aware that we face challenges , but should travel the journey in cooperation and harmony as the goals can be achieved more easily. Some of you all are at present acting supervisors. Let us all lead by example and mentor the junior staff,” Samaroo urged.
