Message Board Archives

Despite the surging homicide rate inching towards 400, the majority of killings being gun related, and the staggering presence of approximately 12,000 illegal firearms in this country, the cargo and container scanners at the ports of Port-of-Spain and Point Lisas are obsolete or non-functional, making the detection of illegal weapons and other goods entering the country even more difficult.Acting Comptroller at Customs and Excise Division Vidya Marcial, responding exclusively to queries from the Sunday Guardian, revealed the division’s issues with the scanners last Tuesday.“The scanners are obsolete. Those scanners were a donation from the United States Government. The mobile scanners are not functioning. The fixed scanner in Port-of-Spain is functioning,” Marcial admitted in a frank interview. She is the first Comptroller at the Customs and Excise Division for quite some time that spoke directly to the media on this very troubling issue that has plagued the country’s ports for several years.

There is also a highly organised (illegal) system within the port involving workers who allow illegal items to pass through and enter the country, the source revealed.
“Lots of barrels are stolen from shed ten from the Port of Port-of-Spain. When the containers are stuffed, the workers know exactly where to place the barrels of interest because they are expecting these and they take them out of the port. That’s a highly organised (illegal) system within the port.At present, the division is understaffed by 40 per cent.“We have 110 vacancies. I have asked for at least 100 new recruits…It’s still around that number (60 per cent filled),” the Acting Comptroller said.

Approximately 87 per cent of murders in Trinidad and Tobago are firearm-related, according to Trinidad and Tobago Police Service statistics.According to the Presidential Designate of the Public Services Association Leroy Baptiste–the majority union representing Customs and Excise Division officers–the division is working at half its capacity and has been doing so for some time.In fact, he claimed that the entire public service is undermanned.Out of 33,000 available positions in the public service, the service is being manned by 15,000 public servants, he claimed.This reporter contacted Minister in the Ministry of Finance Brian Manning and the ministry’s communications team on the matter involving the scanners and the shortage of officers but there was no response up to late yesterday.

The whole country has become dysfunctional with a Government led by corrupt self-seeking dinosaurs with fossilised brains and is crying out for change and enlightened leadership with integrity, a sense of fair-mindedness, 21st century ideas and vision, an ability to reduce out of control crime and to manage the country's resources judiciously for the benefit of all citizens and not just for the few family and friends.

Why are the scanners not working and why weren't they serviced and updated in terms of software etc? Port security needs to be addressed and fixed urgently. But this would take time and money. But what price do you put on a country's security and the protection of its citizens' lives?

Aren't there some immediate measures that could be taken to ensure that illegal arms and ammunition are not smuggled into the country while waiting to fix the scanner problems? We know the ports from which containers are shipped to T&T. Is it not possible for the Government agencies in collaboration with T&T missions in the exporting countries to liaise with those port security and customs officers overseas to have containers being shipped to T&T scanned for illicit and contraband contents? And the same could be said about airfreight shipments.

There is also a highly organized (illegal) system within the port involving workers who allow illegal items to pass through and enter the country, the source revealed.

“Lots of barrels are stolen from shed ten from the Port of Port-of-Spain. When the containers are stuffed, the workers know exactly where to place the barrels of interest because they are expecting these and they take them out of the port. That’s a highly organised (illegal) system within the port.”

It is amazing how stupid the people are that run our affairs...
I am no expert, yet I know as fact every DHL package no matter how small is scanned and sniffed...
Every container is scanned in US, Panama and China...
Every item has HS code used to ship it anyplace..
This is the identification marker for the scanners...
I know containers of fake Disneyland toys transiting US found and seized, I know missile parts found on ship going through Panama canal, and I have a personal experience in China being opened and searched only to find 10 pieces of cardboard accidentally loaded... Don't fool yourself Dunces, guns can only come here if they are allowed