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From:
Subject: Interesting
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 18:42:32 EST



Border to be toughened

TORONTO SUN

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A nationwide border security audit is under way to find weak spots at busy
crossings that can be exploited by border runners, fugitives and smugglers,
customs officials say. Customs agents said respect by travellers for front-line
officers has plummeted and some motorists are running crossings -- not
reporting to customs -- in broad daylight.
The union representing agents wants a border patrol unit created to go after
smugglers and those who flee crossings.
There have been 18 alleged incidents of motorists fleeing the border or
trying to evade border checks in the last month at Quebec's LaColle crossing,
said officers of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
"We are looking into the problem," a top CBSA official said yesterday.
"Some of our major crossings are being looked at."
Among the crossings being examined are bridges that connect to the U.S. at
Niagara Falls and Fort Erie.
CBSA Quebec spokesman Dominique McNeely said the LaColle incidents are also
being investigated.
"The situation has always existed," McNeely said.
"We are looking at the layout of the facility and making recommendations to
improve security."
Ron Moran, head of the Customs Excise Union, said motorists are now more
rude to officers.
"The level of audacity and disrespect for officers is rising," Moran said.
"You can bet if this is happening in LaColle, it is happening in other
places."
About 2.5 million people use the LaColle crossing yearly.
The CBSA has flatly refused to fund or hear proposals calling for a Canadian
border patrol.


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