HM Customs and Excise : the prevention of drug smuggling : report / by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

  • Great Britain. National Audit Office.
Date:
1998
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: HM Customs and Excise : the prevention of drug smuggling : report / by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    1996, 292 anti-smuggling staff posts were cut, but no posts were cut in any of the high drugs yield points of entry (ie Heathrow, Gatwick, Dover and Anglia Collection). The cuts were implemented by: a) reducing the number of staff permanently based at a port or airport, or withdrawing them all in favour of risk-based visits; b) reducing the amount of routine visits to the coastline and remote airfields in favour of selective visits, and closing some small, outlying offices; and c) using fewer but larger and more mobile teams based at strategic locations in the geographically larger collections. Py During 1996-97 the Department monitored the effect of the first phase of staff cuts, and they submitted an evaluation report to Ministers in May 1997. The report concluded that the staff reductions had not resulted in any loss of performance, and that the fundamental expenditure review’s recommendations on revised working practices had been adopted and were proving effective. With respect to further staff cuts, however, the Department were concerned that: a) their threat assessments showed that the drug risk to the United Kingdom was both growing and dispersing, with minor entry points receiving a growing share of high risk traffic; b) a visible presence of uniformed anti-smuggling staff was required to reassure the public; and c) further cuts in anti-smuggling staff would endanger their ability to make effective use of the increased provision of intelligence, to support investigation service operations, and to continue with the Department’s programme of structured risk testing. In July 1997, the Financial Secretary announced that the second round of staff cuts would not proceed. Funding for the posts would be contained within the Department’s existing provision and the target for “drugs prevented” in 1997-98 would be increased by £50 million to £1,670 million (paragraph 1.10). The Department are currently evaluating the impact of the effects of retaining the 300 posts in the light of the emerging year end results, a report was submitted to Ministers in May 1998.