Integrity: an age-old problem for Customs that demands a new approach

The role of the World Customs Organization (WCO) in providing a mechanism for its 179 Member administrations to discuss matters of common interest and to seek solutions is outlined, including an overview of the WCO’s Integrity Program. Reference to the 1993 Arusha Declaration, and its later revised version, provides background to the WCO’s continuing efforts to combat corruption. Australian Customs and Border Protection Service’s (ACBPS) efforts to improve its corporate image through a concerted series of initiatives aimed at staff ethics, anti-corruption and other related factors are discussed. Examples are provided of the efforts being made at the international level by the WCO and at a national level by the ACBPS to divine a new and more effective approach. It is concluded that the price to be paid if integrity is to be maintained is eternal vigilance and the quest for new, more effective practices. Without integrity there can be no proper border management, no effective revenue collection and no public trust in customs agencies. The task is not simple but it remains essential for all agencies to adopt the kinds of measures outlined in this article if they are to maintain public trust.