Customs and Excise Department (Hong Kong)
| 香港海關 | |
 |
|
 Customs Headquarters Building |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1909 |
| Superseding agency |
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| Jurisdiction |
 Hong Kong
|
| Headquarters | 222 Java Road, North Point |
| Employees | 5,632 (March 2008) [2] |
| Annual budget | HKD 2,308.1m (2008–09) [3] |
| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | Security Bureau (Hong Kong) |
| Website | www.customs.gov.hk |
| Customs and Excise Department | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 香港海關 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 香港海关 | ||||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xiānggǎng hǎiguān |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | Hēung góng hói gwāan |
| Jyutping | Hoeng1 gong2 hoi2 gwaan1 |
The Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) is a government agency responsible for the protection of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region against smuggling; the protection and collection of revenue on dutiable goods on behalf of the Hong Kong Government; the detection and deterrence of drug trafficking and abuse of controlled drugs; the protection of intellectual property rights; the protection of consumer interests; and the protection and facilitation of legitimate trade and upholding Hong Kong's trading integrity.
Hong Kong Customs, originally known as the Preventive Service, was founded in 1909. Initially it was responsible to collect the newly imposed duties on liquor. As commodities became subject to duties, the scope of the Preventive Service broadened to include tobacco and hydrocarbon oil, as well as duties related to the government opium monopoly. During times of war, the service prevented the export of precious metals and other commodities to the enemies of the United Kingdom and its allies. In 1963, with the passage of the Preventive Service Ordinance, the service gained the legal status to make regulations on its discipline, functions, powers and terms of service. In 1977, it was renamed the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Service. On 1 August 1982, The Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department became independent from the Trade and Industry Department.
The C&ED is an active member of the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). It exchanges intelligence and works closely with overseas Customs administrations and law enforcement agencies.
With a view to tackling cybercrime, Hong Kong Customs established the Computer Forensic Laboratory, the Computer Analysis & Response Team, and the Anti-Internet Piracy Investigation Team in 2000. These specialized establishments prominently enhanced Customs' enforcement capability and the credibility of digital evidence presented to the courts. The Customs Computer Forensic Laboratory offers professional assistance in collecting, preserving, analyzing, and presenting digital evidence to law court in customs related cases. The digital forensic analysts from the laboratory are qualified to testify as expert witnesses in court of law. The forensic laboratory has been awarded ISO 9001 on quality management and ISO 27001 (BS 7799) on information security since 2006. The Hong Kong Customs Computer Forensic Laboratory is the first government unit of HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) to implement ISO 27001. In 2013, an Electronic Crime Investigation Centre was set up within the department.
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