entering and leaving cruise ships.

But Collector of Customs Bill Ledrew insists the change will not make it easier for drug dealers to smuggle narcotics into the Island.

He said the decision was in response to the five percent spending cut ordered by Finance Minister Eugene Cox, but that the policy change was a good idea.

Mr. Ledrew said yesterday (TUE) that Customs and Police will now make greater use of intelligence reports to target suspected dealers.

He said Police and Customs will provide 24 hour mobile coverage, but Customs officers will no longer staff the gangways of cruise ships at all times.

Cruise ships, which begin arriving regularly next month, are known as a major source of smuggling drugs into the Island.

Last year, cruise ship worker Brian Mervin Williams was caught red-handed when a brick of cannabis fell out of his trousers as he tried to enter the Island at Number One Shed, Hamilton.

The decision not to re-employ the 15 temporary revenue officers recruited for the season will save Customs around $100,000 a year, said Mr. Ledrew.

The Customs officers employed around the clock on gangways of cruise ships in Hamilton, St. George's and Dockyards had the power to stop and search passengers suspected of smuggling or avoiding paying duty.

Mr. Ledrew told The Royal Gazette yesterday: "The practice for some years has been to employ temporary officers to staff the gangways where the officers could go on board, take passenger reports and formalise immigration.

"As a control mechanism, we are taking an alternative approach. This will be a better and more effective control. It is part of the Budget cut, but it is a good idea anyway.

"Rather than have temporary officers with limited authority and training, we will use a combination of other mobile sources and teams to control what's happening.

"They will provide 24 hour control, although we won't see them there 24 hours a day, but there will be coverage and mobile controls in place.

"We work on the basis of risk based on information. We try to target our efforts so that when we decide to rummage a boat, we do it because we think it has drugs.

"It's my view that this approach will make it more difficult to smuggle drugs off cruise ships. Most of the seizures on cruise ships are made when we rummage ships.