 So and welcome to Issues and Answers, I am Claudia Mon-Louis and today we are here to discuss the border management system, which has gone live today in Monday, July 4, 2022. And with me we have a trinity of experts, if you will, in the persons of to my immediate right, Mr. Lucius Lake, he is associated with the St. Lucia Border Management Control Agency and an immigration expert and we have gamma representatives here, gamma being the parent company and they are Desmond Nicholson and Frank Bax, welcome by all accounts of very significant day today. Mr. Lake of course gush in with enthusiasm and definitely happy that we have gone live. St. Lucia's have heard some hints about the ongoing project to implement a border control in St. Lucia but then today let us delve a little into what that entails. St. Lucia has been a part of functioning border management system for some time now. With the help of the Radix team we have a state of the art modular border management system, which means that in the in going forward, visitors and passengers will come to our ports of entry. We will see a quicker automated system going on where the immigration officers will not only hold the passports but put it into a passport scanner and the screen would direct them if what we go forward. But I leave that for the technical portions for Desmond and Frank to give in that regard but it has actually increased or improved travel efficiency in that regard but Frank and Desmond will put a little more on that. Okay, before we move on to them Mr. Lake perhaps you can take us through some of the high points to make today become a reality. With the help of the UK government it was a up and down movement. COVID had a path to play that is why we pushed and we now live at the George F. L. Charles Airport, Rodebe Marina and to a certain extent the ferry terminal castries. We have connectivity, we have machines and we have officers trained and right now using the system to process both visitor and residents coming in. So significant is that we can now join the rest of the region to put up our hands and say we have a functioning system which will accurately record the ins and outs of all persons which would traverse our borders through the recognized ports of entry. Okay, of course we don't want to go heavily technical but we have to touch on the software which is supporting our BMS and you mentioned the experts are ready to give us an idea so you may feel free to go ahead Desmond and Frank. Okay, first of all thank you for having us. Today it was a huge milestone to go live with the Radix PCMS system for St. Lucia. The system is a software that is completely securing all entry points in the end for St. Lucia, for all travelers going out and inside of the country. It is based upon the latest latest technologies available in today's markets but also the hardware and the specialized equipment that is being used to for example authenticate the old travel documents whether they are false or not is taking work from the immigration officers that can be automated so they have more time to do the physical observation of the travelers in front of them. Okay, and the system would you say it's a very efficient interface is there an aspect to it which is very user-friendly persons are always concerned when they hear about that. Is there anything that the user might be able to do before actually coming into a physical airport or seaport as a requirement and because there is the VMS in place? The intent now because we have a functioning border management system is to go along with the online ED card solution. The online ED card presently is done in its present state where passengers on arrival and citizenship present that ED card where the immigration officers cross check against the passport whatever travel document they had and the declaration to customs. What this is intended to do is to reduce the amount of paper that is used as compared to traveling to some of the first world countries you will be able to go online in the not too distant future to complete your online ED card registration and customs declaration with a small health component into it. So it means paperless in capturing our visitors coming in submission of visitors and residents entering to San Lucia. Okay, and speaking of going paperless I know that with the pandemic we now have this new feature which is very prominent where persons have to get clearances for COVID etc. Is there any part of the system which is going to take that into consideration? The system has a capability of working along with the recognized lab institutions which grant or which can authenticate persons COVID results in traveling and flag into the system so the possibility does exist but as we are dynamic and the rules are being changed or the protocols are changing every now and then when the government is satisfied that the system has a capability of dealing with it upon request. Once the information is given in in quick time a solution can be brought forward to get it done. It was done in the room before so it might have replicated it and have it used in San Lucia. That can be done. It's very interesting that you mentioned that it coincides with one of my questions where I was asking whether there is a particular model that we have kind of patterned our own system after hair or was it you know in some ways tailored to our own needs as a small island developing states with you know a heavy airport traffic due to our tourism industry certainly at certain times the the seaport to pick up as well. So the whole system is based upon a modular approach so for us to be able to extend the system for San Lucia further connecting with other authorities building and more checks that is all being part of the the final idea where we're going to. Coming back to the the security of it the most important part of the border control management system is of course making your borders secure but you also want to grant a nice travel experience upon crossing the border not waiting in line too long. So when the online ID card system is in place all the information should be retrieved up front and then the processing of each traveler should be around eight to ten seconds only. It is a large reduce of the processing time as it is now with the physical card. Okay I think that that is it is mind-blowing to hear how quickly this system is going to facilitate passenger processing and we are taking a phased approach mysteriously so perhaps we can look at what's next after we have fully implemented with George F. L. Charles and the Rodney B. Marina what's next. Okay phase one George F. L. Charles Rodney B. Marina ferry terminal phase two Pyrrhenu International Airport Marigold Bay Souffre and Euphot seaports so the intent is to have our five seaports and two airports fully equipped with the latest modernized main system. The modular approach France spoke about means that is interconnectivity to other entities that would require that level of information coming out and whereas they require it the system allows you to grant persons only read alone or not able to manipulate that information but to use it for other purposes like the tourism authority the customs and excise the permit department the courts it's endless in that regard so it means that proper records will be kept proper information in a timely manner will be given out upon request by these competent authorities or authorities which have the ability or the who are granted that ability to capture that information to use it for whatever purpose that is necessary. Okay so what is the time frame to begin training for the training has started from the possible funeral from the process from the time the gamma team came in and they started the installation of the equipment staff in castries as part of the pilot phase have received the requisite training and familiarization with the system once connectivity has been established to the level that is wanted during the installation phase the review for the HIA staff and other parts will be trained it's difficult to train persons on a live system and you don't have it actually function at a point in time so we are working along with the local service provider to ensure connectivity and in the next month or there about while the team does it back end to fix any bugs or kinks in the system we're going to be installing the hardware at HIA if the intent of giving staff the requisite training and introduction to the system that is faced to okay somebody posed the question to me in relation to this new system and I think it is a question that is relevant and can be posed here to our group of experts having obtained clearance from St. Lucia the individual was wondering if they're headed to another caricum region for example do they need to go through clearance again since we're still in in this common space yes there are discussions with OECS and the other islands to have an integrated bottom line vent system this is an opportunity to have further discussions with OECS and our other system brother islands where it relates to that level during the workup we had a single domestic space the conversations are ongoing as to how we go about but the systems have the ability and the team can give a little more insight into that to have interoperability or have the systems speak to each other these are technological systems or computer-based systems and that possibility doesn't exist okay so perhaps you can elaborate and tell us how the systems can speak to each other I know a number of agencies came on board and I'm directing this of course at Desmond and Frank I know you have to you would have had to bring in a number of other agencies both locally interface with them and also internationally to ensure that whatever whatever we are doing is not happening in isolation yeah can we say this if we would look into the future and you say those islands will be interconnected by the same system possible then of course it will be first security that will be priority so saying people are being flagged and on the island they know outbound from they come into the island St. Lucia so up front we would know this person will come to the island and proper action could be made to arrest these people or do other stuff that needs to be done so the more islands are talking with the same system the more communication can be done and that will be a benefit for all security and all the islands okay well thank you very much maybe the members of the public who might have wanted to take a chance to present maybe forged documents might have to now think twice but Mr. Lake we have an exercise I think with the e-passport coming on some persons are still in possession of their machine readable passports and in some cases it's just fine to travel with your ID card so how will this new BMS system handle the various forms of IDs happening simultaneously the system is a biometric travel verification identification so it authenticates passports or travel documents submitted by the traveler the system is such that it can handle our old or present machine readable passports and the braided e-passports which we will be rolling out soon enough it can also capture the information on the ID cards because where the machine readable zone is located so persons can travel with other documents other than the ID card other than passports or ID cards as is with the the treaty or if the collaboration we have the OECS islands so the possibility does exist in that regard it means that the system is wired in such a way that the travel documents the region has agreed upon will be accepted on entry it's just working out with if there are any issues in that regard working with the developers to ensure that whatever system is being used or border system standing presently can assist and can capture that information because I think it's important to know that there's a complete document database of all the documents travel documents from the whole world in place in here this is being regularly updated with the new passport that are coming out across the world so all the authentication features are being stored in that database and all travel documents will be scanned upon that database to see if it's a real legit travel documents thank you this has been a very interesting first segment we will take a break and we will be right back welcome back to issues and answers and we are discussing the border management system which has gone live in St. Lucia as of July 4th 2022 Miss Ali what about the countries that have to first apply to obtain a visa to come to St. Lucia this system we have is built in such a way that the visa regimes of various countries are included into the system for example if you come in from Venezuela whose nationals need visas prior to arrival the system would flag automatically if this passenger ends up in St. Lucia and the request for the visa when it sent to secondary so you'd come in the passport will be scanned in because Venezuela is one of the countries which require visas prior to arrival it would direct to action seeking where you go into second stage and if the visa is present it is scanned in from the passport and entered onto the system so the passenger can be cleared but that information has been put in from all the necessary countries with who require visas for entry into St. Lucia okay so this has been communicated to all of them well they know normally the airlines have an idea or the lines are informed by issuance of the list of the country or the visa regime for persons who want entry into St. Lucia the good thing about that this one would be done all via the border management system so the officers would not forget or make a mistake the system would flag the passports of those countries right away okay so because our system is still experiencing growth we are still in the infancy how long will our exports from Aruba stay with us and what kind of support will you lend the kind of support that you're lending now and of course in the coming weeks hopefully so we will be staying for a few more days now but we have working very closely with kids that is will function as our first and second line of support and we will be in contact with them regularly but we will also be back in St. Lucia as soon as possible as soon as we can enroll the complete system to the other entry points of St. Lucia we will be back for sure and after that will be always be in contact so there's a communication between us if any issues arise we'll be there we're in the Caribbean you're close by yes but we know long with it we have because the system is now ruling out we have that continuous contact with the Gamma team that in the event when anything goes down we are assured that we have that telephone call where you get an answer on the other end to deal with it because we deal with real time now that we have gone live the 4th of July it's live going forward we also have the interfaces of the other regional law enforcement entities that in the event we have any hiccup at all we can rely on the Gamma team in Africa so the conversation does not end if the team is out for water today so get anything else then we have the continuous contact and support from a local service provider sounds good to know that we're in good hands and we will continue to be in good hands let us look at crime this system is going to interrupt of course a crime on the high seas as well and of course perhaps offer a layer of vigilance that we did not have before yes the system comes in if a mobile unit that when our maroon it goes out at sea the requisite training of one officer signs to them they will be able to process or check on the status of passengers or persons will traverse the waters it means that holistically we can be accurate with information we collect from persons within our domestic space so it's going to change around a bit what happened whereas it was done and it was written down the mobile systems being deployed we can capture accurate information we should be uploaded even out at sea when those vessels come back into port and tied into the main system so under the end person using the unofficial parts of not any unofficial parts as it said because of our porous borders use other means to come in once persons come to legitimate parts of entry that information captured and the system updated by the mobile units or by the ports and of course we have persons will sometimes send down to signature by law enforcement who do not possess the the traditional documentation such as a passport and usually referred to as deportees is there some aspect of the new system that is going to process those people in any different way than everybody else it's like the Coast Guard module right what does it say that so if you find an undocumented person then technically there's no identity yet so there is procedure for that to put this person in the system and that from their proceeds to be able to process a system of the person in the system you can take the biometrics so the next time a person would be sought on the street and you take the biometrics you'll find this person in the system right away so there's a module to put people into the system yes it's not a fully porty database but it assists in that regard of persons and in some instances when we have deportees come in as minimal as a documentation comes in there must be assurance that the person being deported or being repatriated to send usher and as I'm saying the system as a capability of beating somebody out who is not a solution or you're trying to ascertain the identity you can actually register them as a new person into the system collecting the bit of the biometric information for storage going forward so that possibly does exist okay then so I would imagine I would imagine that nobody's going to be left out I think the system yes the system cast a very wide net to capture both both persons who are law-abiding citizens and those persons who prefer to operate on the slide shall we say and since we are in the topic of security law enforcement and security sometimes the courts do give a directive on order to individuals not to travel of course that that is sometimes found very difficult to comply with so those persons trying to beat the system we spoke about different systems being able to probably talk to each other and talk with our BMS how will that feature in if at all the intent is to further this discussion maybe face to a beyond to deal with the court houses in one instance conditions of bail for somebody arrested will be the surrender of the travel documents and seek leave from the court for traveling if that information is received and entered into the system in a timely manner it means that there will be no error by the officers at the parts of entry and as they are complicit in the person leaving that this person will be flagged and their serious action taken if John Brown is not allowed to travel conditions of his bail and he shows up at the port of departure trying to leave with an ID card or other than a travel document the system would indicate that this was not allowed to leave and then action can be taken thereafter but it's that is all into it that is what the border management system is all about ensuring the safe movement of both local and foreigners in and out of our ports of entry so we satisfy that it will be able to capture that information providing it is given in a timely manner and entered into the system these are some of the modular aspects we speaking about getting that net cost of accessing to input in that information into the system wonderful whenever there's a new system put in place especially by government persons tend to wonder whether there is going to be a cost associated with that in this case is there any cost that is going to be passed on to the traveling public no there's no cost to the to anybody in that regard thanks to one of our friendly governments who assisted in the procurement and installation of this border management system we are held from the UK border force and going through selecting the appropriate entity to carry out this process but it will be at no cost to the people of Saint-Glouche it will mean occasional licenses being paid to the relevant authorities for upkeep of portions of the license to run the system but it will not cause a traveler anything more just ensure that they are safe in their movement that the authentication is there to assist them for safe travel whichever way they may go by sea or by air okay and as we conclude and let us touch briefly on monitoring evaluation feedback the team should be traveling out in a couple days time to return and their sole purpose will be to monitor and evaluate fix any issues or bugs we may have in going forward that is ongoing with the local service provider we are all working together to ensure that the system delivers as is planned and we have safer borders for Saint-Glouche very well and your closing remarks as we conclude I don't know if you wish I had anything else Mr. Lake except perhaps the first thing I want to say we have gone live so we have lied with a functioning border management system I don't know if Frank or Desmond but anything else but take away it from me it has been a long journey we are head out and thanks to all the assisted I'm not going to call any flight miss out any name but the number of persons who helped out in this regard it can't have happened by the three of us say the number of other persons work in the back end the PSU affairs the menace I mean it's endless in that regard shaman Emmanuel Malin Nassis the gates team it's endless in that regard it is persons that we show in that we can get it done and it's all for the betterment of Saint-Glouche all right well on that note I want to thank everybody for participating in this discussion I am Claudia Mondry this has been issues and answers thank you for viewing