Hong Kong Customs FDC

Hong Kong FDC
Name: Centenary of Customs and Excise Service
Date of Issue: 17 September 2009

The Preventive Service was set up on 17 September 1909 under the then Imports and Exports Department and tasked with the duties of protecting and collecting revenue on liquors. It was renamed the Customs and Excise Service in 1977 and became an independent government department in 1982. The Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) is one of the major law enforcement agencies with a staff establishment of around 5,600 responsible for combating smuggling, protecting and collecting revenue on dutiable commodities, deterring narcotics trafficking and drug abuse, safeguarding intellectual property rights and consumer interests, and protecting and facilitating legitimate trade to maintain Hong Kong's trading integrity. 2009 marks the 100th anniversary of the C&ED. Hongkong Post issues a set of four stamps to commemorate this important milestone.

Using a process printing technique, monochrome photos are juxtaposed with colour images on the stamps to spotlight the past and present of the C&ED undertaking different enforcement functions.

Denominations:
$1.40: Front-line Drug Fighter
Back in the 1960s, Preventive Service staff inspected baggage. Today, the C&ED's dog handlers team up with drug detector dogs in customs clearance and drug raids to combat narcotics trafficking and drug abuse.

$2.40: Facilitation of Trade
The monochrome photo shows the Sheung Shui Customs Station in 1935. In 2004, an advanced Mobile X-ray Vehicle Scanning System came into service. The use of sophisticated technology has contributed to more efficient customs clearance and enabled the C&ED to achieve trade facilitation at the same time.

$3: The Fight Against Smuggling
The stamp presents a comparison over time of anti-smuggling patrols in local waters. Nowadays, the C&ED's fleet of modern patrol launches and high-speed pursuit craft intercept vessels smuggling contraband in Hong Kong.

$5: Law Enforcement
The background features a photo of the Superintendent of the then Imports and Exports Department with his colleagues from the Preventive Service. Today, the C&ED is one of the primary law enforcement agencies under the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The C&ED celebrates its centenary in 2009. The past century has witnessed the Department's significant contributions in maintaining Hong Kong's status as a free port, an international trade centre and a logistics hub in Asia.