Friday, June 23, 2006

Collector of Customs Carlon Powery (fifth from left) with promoted Senior Officers (from left) Arthur Ebanks, Philip West, Trenda Anglin-Kelly, Trevor Tummings Jr., Leonard Hydes, Avril Forbes-Martinez and William Watson (missing from picture is Senior Officer Kerrylyn Ebanks)

Eight promotions to senior positions have taken place at the Customs Department, which continues to distinguish itself according to Government Information Services (GIS).

Trenda Anglin-Kelly, Avril Forbes-Martinez, Arthur Ebanks, Trevor Tummings Jr, William Watson, Philip West, Leonard Hydes and Kerrilyn Ebanks have moved up to the vanguard of leadership within the department and will now prepare incoming and junior staff to the ever-changing challenges the department faces.

Collector of Customs Carlon Powery revealed how proud he is of his officers.
"I am certainly pleased that we were able to promote these well-deserving officers, some of whom have been with the department in excess of 15 years," he aid.

The officers share a wealth of experience gained over the years.

"In their new positions as Senior Customs Officers, they will be further motivated to impart their knowledge and expertise to younger and less experienced officers," added Mr Powery.

The senior officers will be involved in management and supervision, including the department's front-line officers.

"I am confident they are well equipped to face the challenges that will come with their new responsibilities. I certainly look forward to their continued development as senior staff," Mr Powery said.

Their collective zeal to accomplish tasks in a focused and dedicated manner is one of the strongest qualities that the eight officers project, he said adding that they have the serious collective responsibility of filling the country's coffers.

"I am excited at the promotion," said Ms Anglin-Kelly, who has served with the agency for the past 17 years, moving there from the Credit Union in 1988. Over the years, Ms Kelly has served in sections such as the Intelligence and Preventive Unit; Collection; and Warehouse.

In her new role, she is looking forward to training new as well as junior staff members.
"It is the age of technology," she said adding that the reach of technology is extending to all in the department.

With 17 years' experience behind her in the Customs Department, Ms Forbes-Martinez has seen service in nearly all areas of the department's operations since joining from the private sector.

Now serving in Collections at Customs Headquarters, she is proud to be one of those who ensure that the country receives revenue. Ms. Forbes-Martinez is empowered by the knowledge that the job she and her fellow officers perform is vital to the well-being of the Cayman Islands.

Mr Ebanks has already had a diverse career with Customs. He joined as a junior officer in 1980 prior to his promotion to senior officer in 1985, a position he held for 12 years.

Leaving the department in 1996, for a short time, Mr Ebanks worked at Cable and Wireless, later moving to CUC where he remained for five years. Returning to Customs in 2001, he served as Acting Senior Officer for one year, now regaining his position as Senior Officer.

"It is a great pleasure for me to be back serving as a civil servant," Mr Ebanks said.

Stationed at the airport in Grand Cayman, he is now one of the officers involved in processing incoming passengers and collection of revenue. His tasks include profiling to detect those smuggling or failing to declare goods.

"It is a different challenge every day, and it is not unusual for us to encounter new facets," Mr Ebanks added.

Challenges confront them on a daily basis in controlling Cayman's borders; protecting the Islands' population from unwanted goods and shielding its youth from unwanted drugs and other illegal substances. "It is for us to try to deter all that from happening," Mr Ebanks noted.

For Mr Tummings Jr, the Customs Department has been the place where he spends most of his waking hours since he joined from the private sector in 1992. Apart from regular duty at the airport and collection of revenue at the import and export section, Mr Tummings moved to the Drugs Task Force in 1994 and has been there ever since. Having worked for a considerable time with US Customs agencies, he patrols the high seas as part of Cayman's first line of defense against entry of illicit drugs.

"Challenging" is the succinct way Mr Tummings describes these duties. But perhaps even more challenging are administrative duties involving finance meetings and other personnel tasks.

"I look forward to the new challenges," he said. When it comes to training, his "sheet" goes a long way - he averages three training courses a year, a large number overseas. He also looks forward to passing this knowledge to young officers coming into the department.

Mr Watson arrived at the Customs Department in 1988 with experience gained in the construction industry, the Fire Service and the Personnel Department. At Customs, he has served in several sections, including processing passengers at the airport and in the Drugs Task Force. Now working in Customs Collections, he receives duties paid on all manner of imports, including automobiles, aspects in which he has developed a great deal of expertise performing inspection of goods and spot checks to confirm validity of presented paper work.

With 18 years' experience in Customs, Mr Watson knows he will face ever greater challenges in the role ahead as a senior officer.

Similarly experienced, Mr West joined the Customs Department some 15 years ago from his father's construction company. From the Collections section, he transitioned to the Customs K-9 (Canine) Unit in 1993 where he still works. "It has been an interesting ride over the years, with a quite a few notable experiences," he said.

The Canine Unit, comprising five handlers of five working dogs (including two on Cayman Brac), is involved wherever inspections are required, searching vessels, aircraft and containers. 

Receiving training at the Miami-Dade K-9 Unit, he knows the challenges faced by the Customs K-9 Unit are formidable. "Dog work is not exactly a science," Mr West said and it is a challenge for dogs and handlers to stay abreast of new drug trends. 

Training is therefore an essential and constant element of the K-9 Unit's work. And with a number of years' experience in the unit, Mr West is one of the tactical trainers - not just in the Canine Unit, but across the department, an experience he relishes.

"Training of young people is always interesting, my main goal is to help the department to be better while fulfilling my own personal potential."

Arriving from the private sector seven years ago, Mr Hydes has served at the airport and Collections sections and for the past 6 years has been a Drug Enforcement Officer dealing with drug interdiction matters. One of his tasks is to prepare cases for court trials, working in close collaboration with the Legal Department. His investigative tasks can also take him overseas. He routinely covers the port and participates in land and sea raids, which can become inter-agency in nature, should the situation warrant it.

"We are all fighting the same war and just like our partner agencies, we are responsible for carrying out high-risk special operations and investigations," said Mr Hydes.

Looking forward to weightier responsibilities coming his way as a senior Customs officer, Mr. Hydes said that he intends to ensure high levels of motivation and training among his charges. "A well-trained, motivated officer is not only an asset to the department, he or she is easier to work with," he added.

"That is a career path I will be comfortable in for the long haul."

He encouraged young Caymanians to join him at Customs for a career in the vital task of protecting "our borders and our future".

Ms Ebanks has worked for 16 years in various units of the Customs Department including Collections, Narcotics and at the airport. She arrived in the department via working with Coutts in the private sector and currently is with the Preventive Unit of the department.
"We deal with a selection of containerised cargo as well as cargo in less-than-container loads," she explained.

"We open them and check if the goods match the manifest."

When she was in Narcotics, the work involved searching people's premises and having to deal with the possible danger of firearms. Customs officers have to be ever vigilant of the challenges that face them on a daily basis, she said.

"I worked hard for my promotion and I am happy to have received it," she added.

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