New customs boss sets out priorities

Rhiannon Small has been in her role for a month

Jersey's new head of customs and immigration has set out her priorities and expressed pride for the way the service has protected the island's border.

Rhiannon Small replaced Mark Cockerham as head of Jersey Customs and Immigration Service (JCIS) in February.

She said since starting her role there had been a few seizures but it had mostly been "business as usual".

She said: "I'm very excited about my new role... I'm a month in so far all going well."

'Protect our borders'

Ms Small said the "shifting global landscape" was presenting new challenges to Jersey.

She said: "We just need to make sure that we can maintain our international obligations, that's both customs and immigration.

"We're in the customs union with our UK partners and crown dependencies so... it's making sure we protect our borders while facilitating the movement of goods in and out of the island.

"On the immigration side with our seat at the table in the Common Travel Area it's exactly the same with the movement of people."

"Obviously our priority as the immigration service locally is to protect our borders to make sure that people can move in and out of the island freely, when they should be moving freely, and also protecting our society to make sure that the people we have coming into Jersey are the right people."

DFDS is scheduled to take over ferry services to and from the island, and she said they have been "putting training in place" and are "hoping the transition from our side will be as seamless as it can be."

She said the service "works very closely with our Guernsey counterparts" and she was "very proud of the way that we as a service protect our borders".

The working relationships with the UK and France were also vital in keeping the border secure, she added.