The Jamaica Customs Agency has launched a new format of its communication initiative ‘Customs Meets the Community’, a parish-based engagement that brings Customs directly to the people of Jamaica.

The first leg of this community-based initiative, held on Friday, March 22, took the Jamaica Customs team across various communities in Trelawny.

Accompanied by the popular FAME 95 FM team, with the support of the Trelawny Police Division, the Social Development Commission (SDC), the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, along with the participation of the Trade Board Limited (TBL), the Customs team embarked on a journey traversing Rio Bueno to Duncans and into Clark’s Town before culminating their efforts in Water Square, Falmouth.

The initiative’s itinerary was crafted to engage with residents in these areas, offering them a platform to interact directly with Customs representatives.

Throughout the day-long event, Customs officials engaged in dialogue with community members, addressing concerns, clarifying procedures, and offering insights into new Customs processes and initiatives, key among them the agency’s contactless clearance process and new mobile app JACustoms Connect.

The initiative aimed to further demystify Customs processes, including import regulations and clearance procedures, and further strengthen trust between the agency and the public.

La Donna Manning, director of public relations and customer service at Jamaica Customs, expressed satisfaction with the initiative’s outcomes. In a release, she highlighted the significance of community-based engagement “as part of the wider scope of the agency’s communication strategy to further foster greater understanding of the JCA’s policies, processes, and procedures, thus encouraging increased compliance”. She also emphasised the agency’s commitment to transparency and responsiveness to the needs of its various stakeholders.

“By bringing Customs directly to the doorsteps of the people within the communities, this initiative underscores the agency’s commitment to serving the public efficiently and effectively, thus giving credence to our tagline, ‘reaching our customers where they are’,” she added.

Several residents across the communities visited expressed gratitude for the opportunity to interact directly with Customs officials.