Persons entering and exiting Guyana’s ports will have to honestly declare any items in their possession or face higher penalties, as the government prepares to implement fully digitised scanner systems at the country’s borders.
President Dr Irfaan Ali, who delivered the feature address at the opening of the Officers’ Conference at Eve Leary today, said that the next phase of advancement at the nation’s ports will involve the implementation of technology capable of detecting hidden articles or items that travellers may refuse to declare.
“So we are going to remove the burden on our human capacity, and we are going to have scanners at our ports for every single thing going in and coming out, with traceability and accountability, as well as storage capacity, ensuring better security and management of our border system.”
With that, the Head of State asserted, will come enhanced legislation that will introduce higher fines for persons who fail to correctly declare the contents of their bags.
“So the burden of responsibility legislatively will be shifted more to people, requiring them to declare what is in their possession.”
The President noted that as the government and its state agencies seek to develop meaningful partnerships while integrating more technology into their strategies, “people must take responsibility for their actions.”
He therefore highlighted that higher fines and greater penalties will be imposed on those who attempt to cheat the system.
The initiative, which is in its near-immediate stage, will commence at the country’s main airport, Cheddi Jagan International Airport, as well as the wharves.
A digitised scanner system (New York Post photo)
