Four Customs Officers from the Montserrat Customs and Revenue Service (MCRS) are currently in St. Kitts participating in the regional Customs Law Enforcement Council’s (CCLEC) accredited Junior Customs Officer Basic training.
Customs Officers Kiano Woods, Clevan Skerritt, Robyn Yearwood and Shannon White are attending the training programme which began on February 6, 2024. The team from Montserrat along with other officers who are in attendance are undergoing special training in several wide-ranging customs-related subjects that will have both theoretical and practical components.
Coincidentally the Hon. Premier of Montserrat and the Hon. Financial Secretary are both in St Kits for the OECS Heads of Government meeting and the ECCB Monetary Council Meeting and they were able to take some time out to visit the Montserrat Officers at the training facility located at St Kitts Customs Headquarters.
The MCRS stated that the officers were pleased about this and the Hon. Premier took the time to encourage them to focus on their studies and were able to get an appreciation of the training the officers are undergoing.
Director General of the MCRS, Mr. Peter W A White said, “We take the issue of training and development for all of MCRS staff seriously. In the case of customs officers, they have among other things, the responsibility to safeguard governments’ revenues, and protect our borders by ensuring that all Prohibitions and Restrictions relating to imports and exports are enforced while at the same time facilitating legitimate trade and travel. This service provided by the officers can only get better with regular training, mentoring, exposure, and the relevant equipment and resources.”
This training follows on from the two-week attachment for a number of the Montserrat Customs Officers with Antigua Customs last year, as well as several local and online training seminars the customs staff regularly engage in.
The MCRS is planning to send another cohort of junior officers to the same course (Junior Customs Officer Basic training) when it is organised again in July this year.
The Junior Customs Officer Basic training course, hosted by St. Kitts Customs, restarted this year after a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme will conclude in the first week of April 2024.
