Improvements ahead

Initiatives are currently on the cards that will see an enhancement of border security and passenger facilitation at the airport.

Senator Darcy Boyce, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, speaking yesterday morning at the opening ceremony of the Joint National Border Security Training for Immigration and Customs Officers at the Barbados Defence Force, disclosed that one initiative, which is expected to improve efficiency, is a new border control technology that will be introduced at the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) later this year.

According to Minister Boyce, 14 Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks have already been installed in the Arrivals Hall at the GAIA, and once operational, are expected to significantly decrease the waiting times of arriving passengers in the terminal. He made the point while noting that at international airports where such systems are already in place, waiting times in the Arrivals Hall have dropped by 40 to 50 per cent. However, the benefits do not end there; he added that the system is also expected to help increase the capacity for processing additional arrivals quickly, while maintaining high standards of security at no additional operational costs.

The Minister went on to explain that though the APC kiosks will be available, the Immigration counters currently in use will be retained, and passengers will have the option of either interacting with the Immigration Officers at the counters, or inputting the required customs and immigration information electronically at the kiosks. His comments came as he revealed that the system is being installed by Innovative Travel Solutions, a private company at Vancouver International Airport in Canada. That company, he said, is regarded as a leading provider of self-service border control technology, and has installed more than 850 kiosks at airports and seaports in North America, as well as Aruba, Jamaica and The Bahamas.

Boyce added that officers, who will be working with the system, including those from Immigration and Customs departments as well as other airport workers, are at present participating in sensitisation workshops to educate them about the initiative. Additionally, he said as they look to roll out the initiative, efforts are being made to ensure that all pertinent regulations are examined, with the view of updating them before the system comes into operation.

“Work is also ongoing on a project to provide the technology to enable the Customs to improve and increase surveillance of luggage and cargo in less time, in order to improve security and increase facilitation,” he said.

Word of the APC kiosks came just moments after the Minister revealed that he has asked that discussions be held with the Ministry of the Civil Service and the trade unions on redesigning the shift systems, so that at times of peak arrivals Immigration and Customs are always fully staffed to facilitate quick, but secure passage through border control. Moreover, he said steps are also being taken to ensure that Advanced Passenger Information is effectively provided by all carriers to the island to help improve security and processing times.

With that in mind, he went on to say that training opportunities in fraudulent document detection and in e-passports will be provided, to ensure that Barbados continues to achieve the highest standards in the maintenance of national security and the safety of the public. (JRT)