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The Bureau of Customs has acquired 200 cameras for distribution to its collection districts
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The body-worn cameras will be used by Enforcement and Security Service personnel
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The cameras can record video and voice and serve as a communication device between the user and the monitoring facility
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A customs order will be issued on the use of such devices in relation to Supreme Court rulings regarding use of body-worn cameras in the implementation of warrants
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has acquired 200 body-worn cameras to be distributed to its collection districts as part of efforts to modernize and enhance enforcement capabilities.
The cameras will be used by Enforcement and Security Service personnel, BOC said in a statement.
The cameras can record video and voice, and can serve as a communication device between the user and the monitoring facility.
Recorded data is transferred through the 17 docking stations and can be monitored remotely by the Customs Operation Center, the bureau’s central facility for the command and control of the intelligence and enforcement operations of its 17 collection districts nationwide.
BOC said the use of body-worn cameras in its enforcement activities is pursuant to Title II Chapter 3 (Exercise of Police Authority) of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
BOC said a customs order will be issued on the use of such devices in relation to Supreme Court rulings regarding the use of body-worn cameras in the implementation of warrants.
According to BOC’s midyear 2021 accomplishment report, BOC’s intensified intelligence and enforcement operations, in coordination with national law enforcement agencies, resulted in the seizure of various smuggled goods with an estimated value of nearly P6.7 billion.
