Togo : Customs gets new intervention unit to fight smuggling

Security
Tuesday, 22 January 2019 17:26
Togo : Customs gets new intervention unit to fight smuggling

(Togo First) - On Jan 21, 2019, Togo’s revenue office (OTR) will receive the first batch of its special customs intervention unit (USID).

The new task force’s creation aims at improving operational capacities of Togo’s customs services. This first batch regroups 33 civil servants. They followed a nine-week training during which they were taught combat skills, close protection, escorting, and goods conveyance.

The USID’s mission will mainly be to “efficiently fight smuggling and prohibited trafficking as these impair the country’s economy”, reveals Col. Monigbeni Mongorgou, commander of the first military region of Togo. The special armed and mobile force will perform police and security tasks, carrying out investigations and interventions, during special operations.

According to Kodjo Adedze, General Commissioner of the OTR, “smuggling has gained momentum in the recent years, turning into organized crime”. A situation that called for the creation of the newly established intervention unit.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

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