Taskforce to crackdown on corruption in Customs

It will be harder for Customs officers to get away with criminal associations with a new task force to weed out corruption, the federal government says.

customs_australia_aap.jpg

(AAP)

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has announced the creation of a taskforce to detect corruption in the Customs and Border Protection Service in the wake of a drug smuggling ring being exposed at Sydney airport.

More than 20 officers have already been prosecuted over their involvement in the ring over the past 12 months.

Mr Morrison says the taskforce will target the few who pose significant risk to the service as a result of their on-duty or off-duty behaviour.

He says  team of specially vetted investigators drawn from across the service will be appointed to the taskforce to find hidden corruption in the Customs service.

"The task force will identify officers or groups who pose significant risk to the service," he told reporters in Sydney.

"It will act as an intensive check to ensure that the integrity measures introduced in the past 12 months are robust and effective and most importantly that they are not being actively undermined by those within the service who would seek to do it harm."

The former federal Labor government introduced a number of measures to target corruption within Customs.

Eight Customs officers have been arrested since August last year over corruption.


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Source: SBS


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