Interior minister attends International Customs Day event

Manama, Jan. 25 (BNA): Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa has attended a ceremony organised today by the Customs Affairs to mark the International Customs Day observed on January 26. He appreciated the sincere efforts of the Customs Affairs in carrying out its security responsibilities, facilitating the movement of travellers and supporting trade and economy. He also said the high customs revenues in 2017 were an indication of the customs personnel’s efficiency and discipline and fulfilled the goals of the customs strategy for 2017-2020. He said that the continuation of plans to develop the Customs Affairs and the implementation of the goals of the strategy showed the department’s sincerity to improve the performance and efficiency of its staff through training. During the celebration, held under the theme “Safe Work Environment for Economic Growth”, Customs President Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa in a speech highlighted the achievements of the Customs Affairs. He also thanked HE the Interior Minister for his support and said the ceremony was being held a year after the launch of the Customs Affairs strategy, in the course of which 33% of the goals had been reached while the remaining were being implemented in accordance with the time-bound plan. He said the Customs Affairs had handled more than half a million statements, an increase of 3% over the figures for 2016, while the customs revenues had increased by 6% compared with last year. This is the highest level of revenues since bringing the Customs Affairs under the Interior Ministry. Referring to the customs clearance and export of goods through King Fahad Causeway, he said the number of inbound trucks had reached 198,486 with an average of 544 trucks daily with the passage time of less than six hours. The outbound trucks numbered 206,466 with an average of 566 trucks daily with a passage time of 10 hours. The celebration included a documentary on the customs publications, procedures manual, economic operators, documentation and customs clearance policies for individuals, and analytical skills booklet. The Interior Minister honoured a number of organisations for their customs-related work as well as a number of distinguished officers, commissioned officers and those involved in the drafting of the customs booklets. He praised their efforts and wished them the best.