Today the Customs and Excise Department held a closing ceremony after a week-long training. The main focus of the training was to re-evaluate the entire customs structure at all levels and develop a strategic plan. This plan will address human resource constraints and other issues in the organization. The coordinators told us how this training will improve the effectiveness of customs officers which will in turn enhance trade and border protection.
Another major issue addressed at the workshop is contraband and illegal cross border trade. We report countless times on contraband products being smuggled into Belize through Mexico, not to mention the lucrative trade in drugs between Mexico and Belize. Comptroller of Customs and Excise Victor Recinos told us how challenging it is to track and monitor these types of illegal trade. He also discussed the need to bring on more officers to deal with this issue.
The new plan will run from 2016 -2019. During this time there will be a number of workshops and training sessions for all 200 employees in the organization.
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