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Partners Against Smuggling
As a community-based policing initiative I suggested that we, Burin Customs & Excise Section, embark on a pamphlet campaign in an attempt to curb and/ or deter smuggling and also educate the people of the province of Newfoundland on the smuggling of contraband alcohol and tobacco.
The main objective of this initiative was to educate as many persons as possible as to the exact amount of alcohol/tobacco they are permitted to enter the province with either from outside the country or from province to province. By doing this, we felt it would deter persons not only from bootlegging contraband but also show them what they are facing should they purchase contraband goods or have them in their possession. Due to the close proximity of the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon smuggling has been ongoing since the days of Al Capone and prohibition. People in the area were of the mind set that a "bit of alkie" from St. Pierre won't hurt anybody and "it isn't criminal".
In late September of last year I contacted C & E Branch in Ottawa, advising them of this proposal and requested funding for the operation. Due to national funding being cut I realized that to see this through I would have to sell the proposal to a partnership of the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation, IPOC, federal policing, and St. John's C & E.
Action / Results
Montreal Customs & Excise had already printed pamphlets and after being contacted, they agreed to supply us with a disk of the template. This was taken to a printing company and amended to reflect the partnership between the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This newly devised pamphlet laid out limitations under the Provincial Acts pertaining to alcohol and tobacco along with the Customs & Excise Acts. Penalties, along with the phone numbers of Crime Stoppers and C & E Sections in the province were included on the pamphlet.
We had many meetings with our partners and each section offered the amount of monies required to carry this initiative through to the end. Another important facet of this initiative was to have it widely distributed at least a month before Christmas so we wouldn't have persons saying, "I'll wait and see if I can get some Christmas liquor cheap from St. Pierre". The pamphlets were produced and ready for pick-up 98-11-24. Between the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation and our section the pamphlets were delivered to all agency/retail stores across the province and even to Labrador due to it's proximity to Québec.
As for the results, the pamphlets were given out to people as they made purchases at the liquor stores. Smuggling activity has been slower this past fall than it has been in the past. The Newfoundland Liquor Corporation advises that from April 1st, 1998 to the end of the year the number of transactions were up 2.4%. Sales locally increased by 33.4% over the previous year and the dollar value of the goods sold increased by 45% locally. We cannot take all the credit for this, however, we feel that it helped greatly, along with increased enforcement patrols both on the land and the water.
Assessment / Lessons Learned
In conversation with Newfoundland Liquor Corporation they felt this initiative was extremely well received by the public everywhere in the province and when asked if they were interested in the same idea for the upcoming year the reply was "definitely , but let's do it two months before Christmas rather than the one month". As a result "partners against smuggling 1999" is under way.
Contact Person
Cst. Kerry R. Hill
Burin Customs & Excise
Box 277, Burin, NFLD
AOE 1EO
Phone (709) 891-2574/5
Fax (709) 891-2623
E-Mail BURINCE@NF.SYMPATICO.CA
Sgt. J.A. Archibald
NCO i/c BURIN C & E
