At the invitation of Sir Charles Montgomery, Director General of the United Kingdom (UK) Border Force, the Secretary General of the WCO, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, visited the UK on 2 September 2013. He met with Sir Charles Montgomery, Ms. Mandie Campbell, Chief Operating Officer, and other high-level officials and held wide-ranging discussions on a variety of issues including inter-agency cooperation at the border, risk management, data quality, scanning techniques, partnership with the trade, and trade facilitation and competiveness.

Mr. William Williamson, Director Customs (HMRC), and Sir Charles Montgomery both assured Mr. Mikuriya that their respective agencies would continue to lend strong support to the WCO.

Mr. Williamson provided details of a new UK capacity building initiative targeted at a number of key WCO Member administrations. The planned capacity building will take account of existing WCO initiatives and promote WCO instruments.

Secretary General Mikurya was then afforded an opportunity to observe the UK Border Force’s day-to-day operations during a visit to the Port of Tilbury. He also took up an offer to tour the futuristic London Gateway port development.

The Secretary General expressed his sincere gratitude for the thought-provoking discussions held and the hospitality extended to him during his trip. He also welcomed the firm commitment to continued cooperation and support made by the UK Border Force and HMRC.