JOINT PRESS RELEASE
of the Bulgarian Customs Agency and Crown Agents

Ten of the fifteen Mobile Assurance Teams (MATs) of the Bulgarian Customs Agency are now being managed by Bulgarian customs officers. After careful selection and specialised training these officers have assumed managerial duties of Crown Agents’ advisors who have led the teams since their creation in 2002. The 10 new leaders, including for the first time 2 women, were selected by the Bulgarian Customs Agency in consultation with Crown Agents. The company delivered the specialised training which included leadership skills and managing a multi-agency team as well as the professional skills in which each MAT member is trained - the use of anti-smuggling devices and techniques, valuation, risk assessment, document examination, information and intelligence, and search and interview practices.

A number of Crown Agents advisors will remain in the mobile teams to provide continued assistance and monitoring of their activities. Other consultants continue to provide assistance to the National Control and Coordination unit, which tasks the teams on the basis of risk-assessment. Consequently, as a result of reduced requirements, 10 of the Crown Agents advisors who have been working in Bulgaria have now returned to the customs administrations in their home countries or joined other Crown Agents’ projects throughout the world. The Bulgarian Customs Agency and the Crown Agents are very grateful for their contribution to improving the customs service and building a highly effective and successful unit such as the mobile assurance teams.

The remaining Crown Agents’ advisors will continue to train Bulgarian leaders for the other 5 mobile teams and will assist in their planned regionalisation. Within a few months the MAT’s will be located not only in Sofia but also in four other major regions of the country. This will improve their efficiency and will optimise operational costs.