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Core border management disciplines: risk based compliance management David Widdowson and Stephen Holloway
Contemporary border management reflects a complex interplay between a variety of actors in international trade, both across government through its public sector agencies and between government and the private sector. The border in many cases is the physical manifestation of the intersection of regulation and commerce. Its proper management is critical to the cost effectiveness of international trade transactions and the smooth flow of legitimate goods and people from both public and private sector perspectives. Any shortcomings in border management tend to highlight weaknesses in a country’s regulation of trade and immigration, and their impact is felt in issues such as supply chain security, health, and safety. blurred, or even virtual, borders while— at the same time—meeting the government’s mandate to maintain the integrity of the border, to protect the community, and to prevent the unlawful or unauthorized movement of people and goods. The reference to blurred or virtual borders acknowledges that, for security and other reasons, a number of countries are pushing their borders outward in a virtual sense through the mandating of advance information prior to departure of the goods (or person). In this context the United States Department of Homeland Security refers to the global security envelope, a regulatory approach that seeks to establish a chain of trust throughout the supply chain—from manufacture through transport to its ultimate receipt by the consumer. Th is concept is physically manifested through regulatory initiatives such as the Container B O R D E R M A N A G E M E N T M O D E R N I Z AT I O N
Core border management disciplines
The reality of increased trade volumes and passenger traffic—a consequence of globalization and advances in transportation and electronic commerce— poses particular challenges for border agencies, especially as public sector resources have remained relatively stable over the same period. Furthermore, in most countries a number of agencies have some form of regulatory responsibility at the border. Each of these agencies has its own specific mandate from government, and taken together they cover issues as diverse as health, product safety, quarantine, immigration controls, and security, as well as revenue and other customs concerns. Notwithstanding that there may be several agencies with border management responsibilities, the fundamental nature of the challenge that each confronts is the same. The challenge is to facilitate the legitimate movement of people and goods across increasingly
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