Within the framework of its role of border protection and combating illicit trafficking of goods, officials of the National Customs Service took part in the Commercial Vessel Inspection course carried out by the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), which sees Chile as a strategic regional partner.
This training, which has not been carried out since the 80s, seeks to continue strengthening national and regional capacities in the area of border security, and was born from the joint work that CICTE is carrying out with the Canadian Customs Training Centre to hold the first workshop in Valparaíso, considered one of the largest seaports in the country.
It is worth noting that the focus of this workshop is to strengthen the capacities of officials to detect all types of trafficking, including human smuggling, intellectual property, drugs, weapons or CITES, in addition to strengthening the identification, control, inspection and protection of public safety.
The Deputy Director of Inspection, Javier Uribe, highlighted that "we have an extensive maritime border with ports that are among the most important in the world in terms of shipping traffic. That is why we must always be one step ahead and today we are improving and increasing anchoring visits, since last year we have tripled our inspection in this area, which is one of our main roles according to the powers that correspond to us," Javier Uribe explained.
“It is a privilege that Customs officials and other institutions are part of this specialized workshop, since those who train us are renowned trainers worldwide.” He added that “this activity is in line with the Inspection plans that we are carrying out because we are the first barrier of protection throughout our country.”
Roberto Valenzuela, Program Manager of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism of the Organization of American States, commented that "we are seeking to position Chile as a regional leader that the OAS can count on in this area. Chilean Customs has an institutional solidity that was relevant for us to make the decision to come here to conduct this course for the first time."
"It is a combination of factors, in which we saw that there is room to improve some of the work that Customs carries out. There are always areas of illegal activities that are entering the entire region, this shows that it is something that will be taken advantage of, something that can benefit them on a daily basis," added Roberto Valenzuela.
For Kyle Murray, an instructor at Customs Canada (ASFC), the focus of this training is on sharing best practices and generating knowledge for both the students and the instructors. "I've been all over the world delivering training and the amazing thing is all the similarities we have, because no matter where we are, we've come together to realize that we all have one goal in common, which is to protect our countries and their borders."
For two weeks, theoretical and practical workshops will be held, with the first stage focusing on anchoring magazines, as well as work on deck inspection and the engine room area. The next phase will be aimed at training instructors, who are expected to support the OAS in other courses in other countries.
The training was attended by officials from the Chilean Navy and the Investigative Police, institutions that are part of the logistics chain assurance, organizations with which multiple joint activities have been carried out recently.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
