WITH MOST nations focusing these days on securing their borders, it is timely that the Jamaican authorities are arranging for the installation of a new automated immigration and control system at the two international airports - Norman Manley, east Kingston, and Sangster, Montego Bay.
In January, the United States Government introduced what it calls the "US-VISIT" system, which, with a new generation of machine-readable passports bearing such biometrics as fingerprints and iris scan, is designed to thwart unwanted visitors who may have terroristic intent.
And right now, some members of the European Union are debating the introduction of compulsory identification cards in keeping with the concerns they are giving to minimise terrorism, crime and illegal migration.
National security concerns have been given top priority since the September 11, 2001 tragedies in the USA, and the deadly bombings in Madrid on March 11, 2004 have resulted in anti-terrorist fears being kept on the screens of every country's national security radar.
Gilbert Scott, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, said the new systems being put in here are geared at minimising security threats to the island.
In this respect, our in-coming immigration section should stand to benefit greatly from the changes, innovations and equipment. For although the concept of in-coming immigration checks was desirable, in actual fact, it served very little purpose as the admitting officers, without the necessary computerised technology to assist them, had no means really, of determining who they were letting in, making an assessment of any possible threat posed by the visitors, or even keeping track of them.
We should hope, too, that in all these arrangements, there will be a high degree of reciprocity with our partner-nations.
As Peter Phillips, the National Security Minister, pointed out in announcing the National Security Strategy which is being developed, terrorism, the international narcotics trade, and organised crime, are three of the main threats to national security.
The deadly trio are as globalised as commerce and communication. Their combined threat to the countries on which their masterminds target the evils they purvey can be tackled successfully only by the seamless co-operation of these nations they put at risk.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
