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alexk
Guest
Vulnerabilities in systems at the Port-of-Spain and Pt Lisas Ports have frightened a Parliamentary oversight committee, which yesterday told the Customs and Excise Division and both ports’ management to get on the job immediately.
The criticisms and command came from Parliament’s National Security Committee headed by Fitzgerald Hinds, whose team interviewed heads of Customs and Immigration and both ports, particularly on implementing cargo scanners to halt the entry of illegal guns and drugs.
“The system is very, very far from best practice— it feels vulnerable,” Hinds said, showing officials a list of issues the JSC team found, including after visiting the sites.
He said he was frightened by some of the vulnerabilities the team found, adding some things were still there and areas were still porous. He said it was especially frightening since vulnerabilities could be exacerbated by terrorists “and we’re dealing with terrorism.”
He said vulnerabilities arising from an incident—where a man fleeing a gang jumped a Piarco International Airport fence—showed big problems regarding terrorism.
Acting Comptroller of Customs Kathy Ann Matthews, said they believed guns and drugs were coming in “maybe” at illegal ports and also legal ports.
PoS Port Estate Supt Kelvin Birch said there were several drug interdiction incidents (mostly marijuana) but no firearm seizures. Point Lisas president Ashley Taylor said drugs were found in one incident in the past year.
Hinds countered with police reports of guns and drugs entering via legal ports in containers, stoves, parts, fridges and used cars.
“To hear of only one seizure at Point Lisas and five in Port-of-Spain isn’t very encouraging to me,” he added, noting guns and drugs were fuelling T&T’s high murder rate.
Hinds queried the absence of scanners at PoS Port and CCTV coverage of the port’s quayside.
He cited lack of searches—even by sniffer dogs—of used cars leaving the port and searches when vehicles were put on T&T-bound ships. He noted vehicles sometimes remained at the port for a week with easy access by staff.
Matthew said Customs used “human tools” to survey vehicles. But JSC member Paul Richards said the “God-given tools” weren’t being used well.
Hinds said the Caricom Jetty lacked CCTV coverage, contraband was found there and the situation was “very loose.”
He said boats “just come and go” and nearby residents also owned boats.
“Most alarmingly, fencing was only eight feet high—a 10-year-old could easily jump it—frighteningly insecure!”
Hinds said he did not get a sense of urgency, passion or fear from attendees, especially since the security issue concerned the high crime situation. He said they were paid handsomely to protect T&T and warned they would appear before the JSC again.
Post-meeting, Hinds told reporters he was dissatisfied with the situation.
Matthews said Customs was short of its top 42 officers—comptroller, deputy comptroller, acting comptroller, collectors, supervisors—and short 182 officers out of 456. Current officers—including herself—are Customs Officer Three.
“We have a lot of human resource issues,” she said.
She added that every time a new unit opened, Customs had to find officers. To start the Point Lisas scanner, officers were pulled from other units and only ten people were trained for the PoS and Point Lisas scanners, five for each.
Matthews said the scanners’ provider, Leidos, was approached to train 20 more people next month but training was costly—US$88,000
Matthews said a Customs enforcement officer chose containers to scan via risk management basis involving intelligence, special operations and random selection.
The current pilot scanning programme ends next month and will be reviewed. She assured the system used to arrange work did not allow importers to know which officers are on duty.
“But there’s always the human element in anything,” she admitted, saying training—marine, canine, risk management analysis and in weapons/drug detection—was needed, plus scanners at other ports and legislative improvements.