(Trinidad Express) The Customs and Excise Division has stepped up its border security measures with the acquisition of a TT$500,000 hand-held device which can detect drugs and explosives the size of a rice grain.
In a matter of seconds the Multi-modeThreat Detector determines the contents of a package.
Speaking at a ceremony at Customs office on Independence Square, Port of Spain, yesterday where he officially handed over the device, Finance Minister Larry Howai noted that the new equipment has an error rate of one per cent.
He said the detector comes at a time when passengers have found clever ways of bringing illegal items into the country.
“Gone are the days when customs officers could simply eyeball arriving passengers to determine potential risks. Not only have passengers intent on nefarious deeds become highly adept at sneaking contraband in and out of our country, but the sheer numbers of people leaving and entering Trinidad and Tobago have made such simple profiling impractical,” he said.
He noted that in 2010 this country recorded 385,000 arrivals by air, in 2011 this rose to 431, 000 arrivals, then in 2012 it jumped to 454, 000. Last year, the Minister said, 434,000 persons arrived in the country by air.
