Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat said on a radio programme today (Oct. 24) that Customs is fully prepared for clearance arrangements at the new Huanggang Port, using high-tech equipment and risk-management principles in its inspection procedures. He noted that the joint inspection building saw a large surge in passenger flow last Sunday (Oct. 18), but the bottleneck was not at Customs, and operations at the site have been smooth over the past week. Customs has deployed additional staff to meet demand.
Chan pointed out that Customs has redeployed manpower internally, reduced leave for frontline officers, and hired a small number of re-employed retirees to assist. In the long run, as residents and travellers adapt to the new arrangements, operations will gradually become smoother.
Chan continued that as cross-boundary passenger numbers continue to rise, Customs' workload will keep increasing, and adding manpower is not the only solution. Customs has introduced more precise inspection equipment at the frontline for passenger and cargo inspection procedures, including active millimetre-wave detection systems and mobile X-ray vehicle inspection systems, making the clearance process smoother. Since the new Huanggang Port opened, such new technology equipment has helped detect cases involving smuggled cigarettes.
As for the "five-in-one lane" arrangement for vehicles, Chan said that nearly two weeks after the port opened, operations have been very smooth, with vehicles completing clearance procedures in about one to two minutes. However, when there are many vehicles, congestion may occur on roads outside the port. Vehicle passengers are required to alight and go to the accompanying personnel inspection hall to complete immigration procedures. When passenger flow at the port surges, there may be situations where "vehicles wait for people." He believes that with continued coordination among different departments, port operations will become increasingly smooth.
Related News:
Comment