Increase in revenues & seizures are key achievements
Dubai Customs shared its Risk management expertise with a number of Government Departments and Organizations participating in the "Risk & Emergency Management" seminar recently held by DGEP and was hosted by Dubai Police Officers Club. Dubai Customs confirmed that its success in managing potential risks contributed to increasing the revenues & number of seizures during the past two years.
Mr. Yousif Al Sahlawi, Senior Executive Director Corporate Affairs, Executive Director of Policies & legislation Division at Dubai Customs indicated at the beginning of the speech he delivered during the Seminar that Dubai Customs realized the importance of establishing a department specialized in Risks from an early stage. This department worked vigorously to identify operational risks (Internal), strategy (External) that could be hampered from achieving its objectives through setting operational plans for the departments work & Supported with alternative plans to ensure business success. These steps helped the Department reduce the risks to the utmost, rather than dealing with disasters that may result from them.
Al Sahlawi presented some of the initiatives taken by Dubai Customs to control the high risks, notably increasing revenues & rationalizing expenditures to control financial resources. The Department had executed phase 1 and phase 2 of Customs Fees Study Project by increasing customs declarations registration fees and some other services fees, with emphasis on the quality of services provided to compensate for the expected loss in the revenues during the forthcoming years due to providing customs exemptions on some goods as well as joining the free trade agreements.
Control foundations were set to ensure the approval of the upper management on all operational expenses which exceed (Dhs. 10000) Ten Thousand Dirham and capital & construction expenses of over (Dhs. 25000) Twenty Five Thousand Dirham. He stressed that this initiative has enabled Dubai Customs to increase customs revenue by 18% within two years.
He also pointed out that Dubai Customs efforts contributed to boosting customs compliance through implementing the intelligence control systems and the K9 Unit, in addition to increasing the number of mobile X-ray inspection machines & providing the inspectors with training courses and raising their awareness. Moreover, Customs implemented the incentive & awarding program which led to multiplying the number of seizures of customs cargo which went up from 843 seizures in 2007 to 1679 in 2009.
Mr. Al Sahlawi stated that Customs is ready to cope with the anticipated growth in Dubai over the upcoming years as it has taken the required plans for meeting the expected needs in order to avoid any obstacle which might threaten achieving the Department's main objectives in the economic development of Dubai, whether in the increase of customs transactions, passengers or residents of the Emirate. Therefore, Customs developed a full-fledged e-system for customs declarations clearance (Mirsal 2) which is considered a comprehensive E-platform for providing over 80 customs services and completes transactions in record time (i.e. less than two minutes). It is expected that the number of the processed customs transactions through the system is to increase by 95% of the total transaction performed by the end of this year.
Furthermore, Dubai Customs launched the inspection and check-up system of the risk-free trucks using the x-ray technologies from bumper to bumper while they are moving without having to stop them and inspect them manually. A single machine is capable of inspecting 150 trucks an hour; thus, the growing demand on the movement of goods can be met.
The Department recently managed to restructure the coastal quay of Port Rashid to meet the increasing movement of ships which might be encountered at the Creek in the near future, besides adding a new port at Jebel Ali Port to meet the increasing demand of services and movement in the port.
-Ends-
© Press Release 2010
