Danville Walker, new head of Customs, says he will spend his first few days touring, then formulating a plan. - File

Newly appointed Commissioner of Customs, Danville Walker, has dropped into his new post with a promise to tackle the problems of undervaluing or fraud that government officials estimate denies the treasury tens of billions of dollars annually.

The job is not expected to win Walker new friends - to the contrary - but his bosses expect him to be tough and clean up what is now seen as endemic corruption in that branch of the tax services.

"The new rules at Customs are not going to make myself nor Mr Walker very popular," said Finance Minister Audley Shaw on Monday, the day Walker took office.

Last year, international trade brought in $61 billion of taxes, $19 billion of which was customs duties.

But, Shaw, speaking at a reception for the rebranding of Life of Jamaica to Sagicor Life Jamaica Limited, said cleaning up the Customs Department should yield billions more.

Walker, meantime, has to start developing a team.

Dept lacking in some talent

He has, he said, already found that attrition at the department is very high and so lacking in some talent, partly due to low remuneration.

The department is currently recruiting a director of contraband enforcement, and an assistant commissioner of compliance and enforcement - two existing posts that are vacant, but essential to the operations of the department, Walker said.

It's the job of the director of contraband and enforcement, a senior post, to plan, direct, control, organise and coordinate the activities of the Contraband Enforcement Division and contain smuggling - particularly drugs and guns - through the airports, airstrips and seaports.

The enforcement and compliance officer directs and oversees the development of lookout lists, does risk profiling and sets compliance targets.

The post requires directing and overseeing the application of risk assessment and profiling techniques in the processing of travellers' goods and cargo entering or leaving Jamaica.

Walker said as soon as the application deadline for the posts closes on June 6, the department would waste no time filling the positions.

Enormous cleaning-up task

Walker said cleaning up the department would be an enormous task but he was up to the challenge.

"I am looking at spending the first week just touring, then I will be formulating a plan," he told Wednesday Business.

He declined to comment on the level of fraud detected at the department, and the extent of the clean-up required.

Just last month, the Financial Investigations Division (FID) was called in wake of reports of fraud at the Customs Valuation Unit.

The head of the unit was sent on leave as FID conducts investigations.

Shaw in a previous interview with Wednesday Business said there have been persistent reports of undervaluation of imported goods, including motor vehicles and other merchandise.

dionne.rose@gleanerjm.com