Fact Sheet

October 2001

Strengthening Customs Examinations at Airports / Seaports

It has become increasingly clear that Customs must take immediate steps to strengthen our capabilities to identify illegal persons and goods at high-risk ports of entry. In particular, major Canadian airports, seaports, and postal operations are considered a high risk due to the increased threat from illegal drugs, weapons, explosives and dangerous people.

The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) has a responsibility to ensure that Canadians are provided with the highest degree of protection from dangerous people and goods. The CCRA is enhancing its ability to protect Canadians by investing, on an ongoing basis, an additional $9.0 million annually to hire approximately 130 new Customs officers. These officers will be responsible for the following:

Examinations

• Increasing our capacity to examine suspect people and shipments at major Canadian airports, seaports, and postal operations with more Customs officers examining high-risk people, goods, ships, aircraft, and mail.
  
  
• Increasing the use of highly trained search teams such as flexible response teams (FRTs), who are skilled to work in various modes including, air, marine, highway, and postal operations. FRTs concentrate solely on the interdiction of illegal persons, conveyances, and goods.
  
  
• Increasing the number of highly trained ship search teams including advanced rummage teams and confined space entry teams at major Canadian seaports to identify high-risk persons and goods arriving into Canada by vessel.
  
  
• Increasing the number of specially trained aircraft search teams and roving teams at major Canadian airports to perform in-depth contraband examinations of aircraft, cargo, and travellers.
  
  
• Increasing the number of dedicated container examination teams and pier examination teams at major Canadian seaports to identify commodities that pose a health and safety risk to Canadians including illegal drugs, weapons, explosives and hazardous materials.
  
  
• Strengthening our monitoring and response capabilities at alternate service ports of entry for illegal persons and goods with increased examinations and searches of vessels, aircraft, travellers, and cargo.
  
  
• Enhancing our targeting and selection methodologies using risk assessment, criminal database query, and the latest smuggling trends, for the identification of shipments that may contain products that threaten Canadians safety and security including firearms, explosives, drugs and hazardous products.

Intelligence and Targeting

• Strengthening intelligence and targeting capabilities to better support Customs examinations with more intelligence and targeting officers working on site at airports and marine ports to identify high-risk travellers and goods prior to their arrival.
  
  
• Increasing the sharing of information by strengthening national and international partnerships with law enforcement and other security agencies including RCMP, CSIS, Immigration, Coast Guard, and Transport Canada.
  
  
• Increasing partnerships with industry through the CCRA Partners in Protection Program. By developing Memoranda of Understanding, we will improve cooperation in an effort to combat illegal activities across our borders.