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Razorguns
Well-known member
OMFG! Osama Bin Laden could just WALTZ right into Canada, and they'd be none the wiser! God don't we wish the Tijuana border was like this! 
http://www.canada.com/montreal/mont....html?id=69bde033-da1b-4001-b0b3-594e04dfe74b
Border agents doze at posts, traveller says
Customs union boss is among critics urging increased efforts to secure Canada's frontier
CATHERINE SOLYOM
The Gazette
"Sorry to wake you - just crossing the border."
That may have been Stephen Holtzman's gentle plea to a border guard he chose to wake up one Saturday evening to declare himself to customs.
A frequent traveller to Plattsburgh, N.Y., the Montrealer is worried about the ease with which smugglers can bring guns, drugs and people into the country just by speeding past border controls, big and small.
A report by customs officers at Lacolle this week revealed it's been happening at one of Quebec's largest crossings at the rate of 18 times in less than a month.
Holtzman was not surprised.
"Here I am at the Canadian border, we're talking 7:30 p.m., and the guy's sleeping," he said. "I can't blame him, though, he was all alone on a 24-hour shift."
But many do blame the customs agents' boss, the Canadian Border Services Agency, and say it's time it started properly protecting Canada's borders.
"In our view, the next logical move is to change the jurisdictions and budgets and give customs officers the ability to take these cars in pursuit," said Ron Moran, national president of the Customs Excise Union.
The RCMP has jurisdiction beyond border posts, but has stopped regular patrols. "Individuals and goods are getting into the country, and we don't have a clue who they are," Moran said.
Recent prosecutions suggest what, perhaps, isn't being intercepted when someone speeds down the truck lane instead of pulling up to a customs booth.
S In Emerson, Man., border agents in October seized seven handguns from a Winnipeg man.
S At the Lansdowne, Ont., crossing in November, three U.S. residents received up to one-year prison sentences for attempting to smuggle child pornography.
S At Lacolle in November, agents seized more than $285,000 U.S. in undeclared currency from a Canadian couple.
Altogether, the CBSA last year made 10,088 drug seizures, confiscated 17,801 weapons and seized almost 2,000 items of obscene material. About 100 missing children were also recovered.
Anne McLellan, the minister responsible for public security, will be discussing border security with the CBSA, said Alex Swann, her director of communications. "Then we'll see what can be done," Swann said. "To be sure, the union has been stressing the need for more personnel at border crossings."
McLellan might also want to consult with her U.S. counterparts. Anyone attempting to run the border into the United States is quickly intercepted, said Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Mario Villarreal.
"We have responsibility not only at ports of entry but between the ports," Villarreal said, adding there are often secondary checkpoints beyond the border. "So, when someone tries to run the port the border patrol can respond immediately."
Holtzman has seen it live. While waiting to cross into New York, he saw someone in a Jeep try to crash the border. Within 20 seconds, officers were on him and a helicopter circled overhead.
"The U.S. learned something from 9/11, but Canada sure hasn't," Holtzman said.
[email protected]
http://www.canada.com/montreal/mont....html?id=69bde033-da1b-4001-b0b3-594e04dfe74b
Border agents doze at posts, traveller says
Customs union boss is among critics urging increased efforts to secure Canada's frontier
CATHERINE SOLYOM
The Gazette
"Sorry to wake you - just crossing the border."
That may have been Stephen Holtzman's gentle plea to a border guard he chose to wake up one Saturday evening to declare himself to customs.
A frequent traveller to Plattsburgh, N.Y., the Montrealer is worried about the ease with which smugglers can bring guns, drugs and people into the country just by speeding past border controls, big and small.
A report by customs officers at Lacolle this week revealed it's been happening at one of Quebec's largest crossings at the rate of 18 times in less than a month.
Holtzman was not surprised.
"Here I am at the Canadian border, we're talking 7:30 p.m., and the guy's sleeping," he said. "I can't blame him, though, he was all alone on a 24-hour shift."
But many do blame the customs agents' boss, the Canadian Border Services Agency, and say it's time it started properly protecting Canada's borders.
"In our view, the next logical move is to change the jurisdictions and budgets and give customs officers the ability to take these cars in pursuit," said Ron Moran, national president of the Customs Excise Union.
The RCMP has jurisdiction beyond border posts, but has stopped regular patrols. "Individuals and goods are getting into the country, and we don't have a clue who they are," Moran said.
Recent prosecutions suggest what, perhaps, isn't being intercepted when someone speeds down the truck lane instead of pulling up to a customs booth.
S In Emerson, Man., border agents in October seized seven handguns from a Winnipeg man.
S At the Lansdowne, Ont., crossing in November, three U.S. residents received up to one-year prison sentences for attempting to smuggle child pornography.
S At Lacolle in November, agents seized more than $285,000 U.S. in undeclared currency from a Canadian couple.
Altogether, the CBSA last year made 10,088 drug seizures, confiscated 17,801 weapons and seized almost 2,000 items of obscene material. About 100 missing children were also recovered.
Anne McLellan, the minister responsible for public security, will be discussing border security with the CBSA, said Alex Swann, her director of communications. "Then we'll see what can be done," Swann said. "To be sure, the union has been stressing the need for more personnel at border crossings."
McLellan might also want to consult with her U.S. counterparts. Anyone attempting to run the border into the United States is quickly intercepted, said Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Mario Villarreal.
"We have responsibility not only at ports of entry but between the ports," Villarreal said, adding there are often secondary checkpoints beyond the border. "So, when someone tries to run the port the border patrol can respond immediately."
Holtzman has seen it live. While waiting to cross into New York, he saw someone in a Jeep try to crash the border. Within 20 seconds, officers were on him and a helicopter circled overhead.
"The U.S. learned something from 9/11, but Canada sure hasn't," Holtzman said.
[email protected]
