A chara, – Pól Ó Murchú, (December 27th), refers to the confiscation of three jars of jam at Dublin Airport by Customs and anti-terrorism police. He later suggests that Customs should have country jam sniffing dogs at the airport.
Where An t-Uasal Ó Murchú erroneously refers to Customs should indeed be a reference to the Airport Search Unit (ASU) which is part of airport security employed by the Dublin Airport Authority.
While Revenue’s Customs Service has excellent relations with the ASU, Customs do not partake in the searching of passengers for the purposes of airport security but work tirelessly along with the other Law Enforcement Agencies of the State to protect its borders in relation to the illegal importation and exportation of drugs and other prohibited and restricted goods. While the three jars confiscated were, I’m quite sure, delicious, I seriously doubt whether colleagues in the ASU enjoyed the benefits of the jam as alluded to by an t-Uasal Ó Murchú.
Perhaps, if an t-Uasal Ó Murchú’s travelling friend had paid more attention to the security precautions as outlined on Dublin Airport’s excellent website and in the many airport public notices, he would have saved himself the embarrassment of having his jam confiscated. All the travelling public need to observe these precautions which are there for the safety of all. – Is mise,