Members of the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on National Security found loopholes in the security apparatus at two major ports of entry they toured on Tuesday.
The JSC, chaired by Laventille East MP Fitzgerald Hinds, visited the Point Lisas Port (Plipdeco) and the South and North Terminals at Piarco International Airport to get a first-hand view of how cargo entering the country is handled by the Customs and Excise Division and security personnel.
At the South Terminal of the airport, where large air cargo imports and exports companies are based, Airports Authority of T&T (AATT) security personnel told Hinds customs officers blocked their access to certain parts of the facility. Comptroller of Customs Glenn Singh, who was on the tour, said he was unaware of the complaint.
A representative of a private courier firm said surveillance footage at the bond could be made available upon request to the AATT’s security. However, the security officers said they needed to be able to get proper surveillance of every aspect of the property as the land and buildings leased to the aviation businesses are actually owned by the AATT.
Officers also complained that sometimes when they reported for duty, they found security cameras were taped off or repositioned. This raised an alarm for Hinds and he immediately ordered an investigation into the allegations. He told the T&T Guardian what he heard was of great concern and would be pursued with much “rigour and vigour.”
“In my genuine view, it is unthinkable that the AATT security, who have the responsibility for security in the airport, are running into blind spots for whatever reason. It is a matter of concern,” he said.
During the tour of a private aviation air freight business it was discovered that sea cargo was brought to the facility to be cleared by Customs and Excise personnel. Hinds and with other JSC committee members, including Prakash Ramadhar and Paul Richards, felt they weren’t given a clear explanation as to why this was done. Hinds asked for a report in writing on all the businesses that brought containers there to clear and the type of cargo involved.
The JSC members were also taken to the airport’s scanner room where they were shown scanners that could detect explosive devices in checked baggage.
At the sea port in central Trinidad, Singh said mobile scanners would soon be in operation at the Port-of-Spain and at the Point Lisas Ports.
He said the reason scanners given to the Port by US Customs and Border Protection in 2014 were not operational was because of the cost of their maintenance. He said the process to have the devices refurbished is almost completed.
It was also discovered that there is an unsupervised time lapse between the Port and the Customs Examination Station (CES) where containers red-flagged via intelligence are directed. Hinds was told it takes ten minutes for a truck to take the container to the CES and if that time passes security is despatched to make checks.
Hinds also raised concerns about the fact that only 15 per cent of containers entering the Point Lisas Port were checked.
The JSC was recently told that the illegal gun trade in this country was worth an estimated $100 million, most of which enters through legal channels. Last November, US$2 million was seized at the Port of Point Lisas.
Upon completion of all tours, Hinds said there would be a tally of all that was asked, responses and questions yet to be answered.
“We hope that parliamentary information will lead to ministers of Government who are responsible for the respective entities—in this case the Minister of Works and Transport—I would hope that he, from the facts that we would have gathered in this exercise, use those facts to drive his ministry and the boards to improve the weaknesses and vulnerabilities,” Hinds said.