A major crisis of equipment and manpower at the customs house in Hazrat Sahjalal Airport is compromising airport security, say experts.
Everyday 39 airlines operate 250 flights operate out of Dhaka airport. It’s the customs house’s responsibility to ensure searching luggage, collecting taxes where necessary, regulate import-export cargoes, prevent trafficking of assets, wild animal, arms and narcotics.
However, a shortage of equipment and manpower means that the customs house is unable to conduct thorough searches.
The customs house has only three scanners to check passengers, one of which is at the VIP gates.
Hence only around 10 percent of the incoming passenger’s luggage is checked meaning that there remains the risk of getting away with taxable and banned import products, arms and explosives.
On the other hand, passengers in immigration are checked by Aviation Security members and shortage of equipment mean that money, artefacts and banned exports products are trafficked abroad.
According to sources, illegal consignments are seized based on tip-offs and around 10 percent of them are seized when customs authorities search suspicious passengers.
From 2017 to 2019, Airport Armed Police seized 222 kilograms of gold, foreign currency worth nearly Tk 1.3 million, 680 litres of foreign liquor and 1,568 mobiles.
Moreover, the customs house is solely responsible for searching the cargo village as well. However, there are no container or vehicle scanners. Since the searching is done manually, thorough scanning isn’t done.
An airport employee wishing to remain anonymous said that the biggest risk arms and explosives entering the country.
“The customs house is solely responsible for the incoming passengers. If they fail for some reason, banned import products and illegal consignments will come in,” he said.
A customs house official speaking on the condition of anonymity said that equipment and manpower at the airports have not increased compared to the passengers.
“We have to work under challenging conditions. The smugglers are finding new tricks every day,” he said.
He added that in order to warrant full proof security, more baggage and shoe scanners, hand-held X-Ray machines and body scanners were needed.
He said not only is it difficult to make people take off their shoes during checking, in order to check whether suspects are carrying drugs in their stomachs, but they also have to be taken to a nearby clinic for X-Ray.
Added to the lack of equipment is the shortage of manpower. Although 286 employees are supposed to be working in three shifts, there are only 100.
Responding to queries on the matter, customs house Commissioner Moazzem Hossain said that two more baggage scanners for the airport and two pallet scanners for the cargo village will be set up.
He added that a list of the equipment will be sent to the National Board of Revenue and it will be possible to set them up soon.