Red Tape Hot Box on Poland's failure to guard the gates
Since our arrival at the EU's gates, we have been asked more than once to improve the security of our eastern borders. In order to do that, we have been subsidized with money and technology - both ear-marked for building more modern border crossings. New buildings have been built, monitoring systems have been introduced and many facilities have been modernized.
Nevertheless, to the disappointment of our western neighbors, not much has changed in terms of reducing illegal trade. Why is this?
The reason is that it's not really a question of how much money is spent on improving the means with which contraband is controlled; the real problem lies with the people who operate the means of control - customs officers. In the space of only few months, 50 customs officers have been charged with taking bribes. But the temptation is too great for them and it is worth taking risks; for letting through a truck filled with illegal goods they get on average two to three thousand euros. This they share equally among themselves, no matter who was on the shift. If you consider that everyday they let pass a few such lorries, the wages of corrupt custom officers might reach even three thousand euros a day. Also, many of them take bribes from people who don't have time to stand a few hours at the border crossing.
For those who are willing to pay, there are often other gates where drivers are not only able to pass through quickly, but also avoid completely any inspection of the vehicles they travel in. However, the blame lies also with the law, which is too lenient. If a person who offers a bribe is turned down, as a punishment, he/she is send back to the end of the line. Such a penalty doesn't deter crooks from trying. In most EU countries, someone who gets caught even attempting to bribe a public official has either to pay a fine of a few thousand euros, or even ends up in jail.
Everybody knows that smuggling will never be completely suppressed, but it should be minimized. As long as it's not, our government loses a lot of money that it should normally receive from customs taxes, while our nation loses the trust of the West in keeping eastern borders secured.
