The World Customs Organization (WCO) successfully organized a workshop on the Risk Management and Advance Cargo Information System (ACIS) at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC) in Bridgetown, Barbados from 18 to 20 November 2019.

The CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) requested WCO assistance with enhancing its Risk Management practices based on advance cargo information and a SWOT analysis. The workshop was attended by some 17 JRCC programme officials representing a variety of CARICOM Customs Administrations and responsible for ensuring ACIS implementation in the region. 

The three-day workshop mostly consisted of delivering presentations on methodologies from the WCO Risk Management Compendium and conducting hands-on exercises on cargo profiling, targeting and selectivity. After each exercise, the participants split into working groups, presented their results and fielded questions from the other groups, which generated a great deal of interaction among the participants.

The participants will use the knowledge and experience gained during the workshop to develop and implement intelligence-driven risk criteria for ACIS programme implementation. The workshop also provided an opportunity for the participants to complete a SWOT analysis of ACIS implementation that will be used to enhance the goals and processes in development and serve as a baseline for future programme reviews and assessment needs.