CUSTOMS IS NOT UP TO THE TASK

No matter what the defeatist propaganda some have believed (Alexander
Orerar and Tony Trimingham, Letters, July 4, and Tarqin McPartian,
Letters, July 6), the reality is too many prohibited imports enter
through our borders because Customs is ineffective and does not work
properly.

The litmus test is the quantities of drugs, steroids and weapons on
the streets, which, on their own, are reason enough for a royal
commission into Customs.

Narcotics intercepted in 1984-86 were 5465kg and in 1997-99
1223kg.

It is significant that there were 320 seizures of heroin in the years
1984 to 1986 and 55 from 1997 to 1999.

These Customs annual report figures clearly support those concerns, as
do properly informed organisations such as the Customs Officers
Association and the Australian Olympic Committee, who have expressed
grave concerns about Customs effectiveness.

With cost-effective innovations such as coastal lighthouse-based
long-range radar and entry point bio-tech sniffers (as against
expensive and cumbersome random ion-scans and backscatter X-ray
units), under a restructured Customs using proper technology, few
prohibited drugs would enter.

As a national goal, effective supply reduction is an achieveable
priority once a restructured and focused Customs is allowed to work
properly.

Bob Spanswick, former federal secretary, Customs Officers Association,
Ashbury