'Lax' port security focus of Senate report Last Updated Thu, 28 Feb 2002 7:36:53 MONTREAL - The federal government is about to face increased pressure to make major improvements to security at the country's busiest ports. The Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence has spent the past several months looking into the broad question of national security. They're set to hand over the results of the study to government on Thursday. It's expected to criticize security at Canadian ports and include improvement recommendations. One of the committee's major concerns is the content of shipping containers. Less than one per cent of the thousands of containers that pass through the Port of Montreal are searched. Many port workers call security a joke. Montreal dock worker Greg Beaudry says in his 20 years of experience, almost anything can be shipped through Canadian ports, including drugs and weapons. He calls security measures "lax." ds"Well let's just say there are plenty of drugs in North America. So obviously it's pretty easy. Now the guns part, or the weapons, I couldn't tell you, but it's probably the same. If they can do it with one they can do it with the other," said Beaudry. Police in Montreal agree. For years, they have warned the port has been infiltrated by organized crime dealing with illegal immigrants, drugs and other illicit goods. The RCMP's largest seizures of cocaine, heroin, hash and ecstacy in 2000 were made in the ports of Montreal, Halifax and Vancouver. Police say smugglers are becoming bolder because they know chances are slim they'll be caught. Almost $2 million in new security measures has been pumped into Montreal's port, but police say increased manpower is needed to accompany the new security measures. Halifax customs investigator David Aucoin says more officers with wider-ranging powers are necessary to clean up Canada's ports. "Does security need to be tightened on the ports?" asked Aucoin. Answering his own question, he said, "Yes. The number of ships and regular callers that come through, we wouldn't be able to sustain any type of operation like the way we are staffed right now. It's not possible." Police and customs officials say they hope the report leads to action. Written by CBC News Online staff The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** ICQ Pager: mailto:15836110@pager.icq.com escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca yahoo email: mailto:triniroj@yahoo.com Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBSC Group on Yahoo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/caribsocabrass CBSC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeansocabrassconnection/ ******************************************************* Steel Expressions Orch http://www.escape.ca/~ejames/se/ email #1: mailto:steelexpressions@yahoo.com email #2: mailto:steelexpressions@home.com ******************************************************* The Trinbago Site of the Week: (Flowerline) http://www.flowerlinetnt.com (Flowerline Florist) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://195.224.187.36/ *********************************************************