Customs Dept ready for Christmas rush

The Customs Department has stepped up its monitoring of the island's ports as the Christmas season approaches.

Dania Beckford, director of public relations and information at the Department of Customs, told The Gleaner that the Contraband Enforcement Team will exercise more vigilance in an effort to clamp down on the illegal goods that flood the wharves this time of year.

"There will be an increase in spot checks and greater risk-management review of cargo and passengers," Beckford said.

She added that increased profiling teams are being deployed at the airports and more random operations across the island.

In the meantime, with Christmas just five weeks away, Commissioner of Customs Danville Walker said his department and the Kingston Wharves have put systems in place to handle the huge amounts of goods that normally enter the island this time of year. Walker says December's cargo is usually about four times the average amount.

Last December, approximately 33,000 barrels were cleared, the most in a single month. A total of 10,360 barrels were cleared from three ports in Kingston in October. Since April, 75,666 barrels have been cleared at the wharves.

"We have assessed our performance in previous years and made the necessary preparations in collaboration with the various ports, to ensure increased efficiency in cargo clearance during the busy Christmas season," Beckford told The Gleaner.

Like last year, persons clearing personal barrels will once again enjoy the flat rate duty of $5,000 this Christmas.

"It is reasonable, simple and transparent. We believe it has encouraged the shipping of barrels, as it is consistent," Beckford said.

Commercial cargo, on the other hand, will be assessed based on the contents.

At the same time, customs officers will work round the clock to ensure the clearance of goods. Kingston Wharves will now be stripping and scanning cargo at nights and on weekends. Weekdays will now be dedicated solely to the release of cargo.

Kingston Wharves will also be opened for three Saturdays during December. Customs has also expanded its cashier area and put in an additional window in the manifest branch. They have also separated manifest for commercial and personal goods to ensure faster manifesting and clearance of goods.