The customs service opens up about its intelligence work: – There is a lot going on in the back room.
In this year’s season of the TV series “Toll” on TV 2, viewers get an insight into everything that comes by mail and packages to the country, and for the very first time, the intelligence division opens up about how they work to be one step ahead of the criminals:
– There is a lot going on in the back room of the Customs, both nationally and internationally, that is not visible, says communications director Kim Gulbrandsen in the Customs to Nettavisen.
– The customs service has been through a reorganization in recent years, and the intelligence division is new. Here we have people who are working to create a greater insight into threats and flows of goods that are on their way to Norway, he says.
– Our job is to sharpen control
Intelligence has long been part of the customs’ work, but the Intelligence Division was established last year.
– We are a well-composed group of customs officers, statisticians, data analysts and traditional analysts. Our job is to contribute to tighter control in the agency, says the head of the Customs’ intelligence division, Erik Spradbrow, to Nettavisen.
Also read: Specially trained dogs hunt for currency – fines of over 2 million kroner in June
Revealed Rivotril network
The unveiling of a European Rivotril network of illegally produced drugs was one of the missions the intelligence division was heavily involved in.
In this year’s season of the TV series, viewers get to follow new challenges, flows of goods, travel patterns and smuggling attempts when society and borders are gradually opened up. With greater freedom of travel, the TV cameras have also gained access to new customs offices.
In addition to well-known places such as Svinesund, Magnormoen and Gardermoen, viewers will meet new customs officers at border crossings such as Flisa, Ørje and Kilpisjärvi.
Season premiere
The season premiere of “Toll” takes place on Monday on TV 2 Zebra and TV 2 Play. On average, each episode has been seen over 650,000 times and the Customs is satisfied with its own participation in the documentary.
The series has contributed to several Norwegians perceiving that there is a high risk of being caught for illegal importation of goods, the Customs Service believes and refers to a user survey conducted by Kantar TNS.
The TV project has shown that openness is valued by both the audience and their own organization.
– When we agreed to participate in this production, it was with a recognition that most people have low knowledge of who we are, what we do and why. Increased trust in us and the work we do, better insight and understanding of regulations and an increased perceived risk of discovery are some of the by-products of the series. We are very pleased with that, says communications director Kim Gulbrandsen according to a press release from the Customs.
These are the places and environments viewers encounter during this year’s season:
- Oslo Airport Gardermoen (passenger traffic)
- Gardermoen (air freight)
- Alnabru (postal items over 2 kilos)
- Østlandsterminalen, Lørenskog (postal items under 2 kilos)
- Torp (air traffic)
- Sandefjord (ferry and boat traffic)
- Ørje (road traffic)
- Svinesund (road traffic)
- Magnormoen (road traffic)
- Tiles (road traffic)
- Tromsø (road traffic)
Also read: The customs service warns online shoppers: – May pose a danger to health and safety
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