The Customs Administration’s 36 active teams of drug-sniffing dogs are overworked and three teams have been short of the minimum number required for the agency’s missions since December last year, officials said.
In 2007, the administration signed a memorandum with the Australian government to receive help with the breeding and training of sniffer dogs for its customs and border protection services — as well as for intelligence sharing.
By the end of last year, the administration was able to field 36 detection dog teams to screen 25 million border entries and 4.48 million cargo items per year, officials said.
Photo: CNA
Austria has 47 detection dog teams for its 18 million border entries and 3.8 million items per year, or more dog teams for less work than Taiwan, the officials said, adding that Taiwan’s sniffer dogs are clearly overburdened.
The agency’s detection dog training program has a pool of about 45 canine candidates annually, but only between two and 10 dogs show sufficient aptitude for the job of a sniffer dog, officials said.
Moreover, the first generations of Taiwanese detection dogs are nearing retirement age and should start to drop out of customs duty every year, leaving sniffing units permanently understaffed, they said.
It is estimated that Taiwan would be able to put together 38 detection dog teams by next year, still short of the 39 deemed necessary for the job, officials said.
As a result, the National Audit Office has demanded that the Customs Administration include dog and handler duty rosters in performance evaluations and incentivize competition between regional dog teams, the officials said.
In its audit report for last year, released late last month, the National Audit Office said that the Custom Administration had since 2008 spent NT$266.33 million (US$8.81 million) on its detection dog program.
Between 2010 and last year, the teams foiled 572 smuggling attempts, discovering 15,430kg of drugs, the report said.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS