Facilitating Trade:
Improving Customs Risk Management Systems
In the OIC Member States
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The Intelligence Department is part of the Directorate General of Customs Enforcement. Besides
the Intelligence Department, this Directorate consists of the following departments: Anti-
smuggling Department; Law Enforcement Department; Operations Department (mobile teams)
and Command Control Center (surveillance); Technical Devices Department (devices for non-
intrusive inspection); Enforcement Services Department, and Administration Department.
Intelligence Department was established in July 2014, divided into three units:
 Intelligence Unit is responsible for strategic intelligence, collection, and evaluation of
information from national and international sources and dissemination of the
intelligence. The Intelligence Unit disseminates the information from the central and
local units, handles informants, and is responsible for the exchange of information with
national and international institutions and agencies. As well, the Intelligence Unit
coordinates national and international intelligence operations; it manages the National
Contact Points of Turkey to regional and international institutions and procedures
related to Board of Witness Protection, etc.
 Evaluation Unit responsible for the assessment of denouncements and alerts from
national and international sources; procedures related to denouncements received from
the open line “Alo 136”, processing and dissemination to relevant central and local
directorates, etc.
 Data Analysis Unit responsible for analysis of all public databases and dissemination of
the information to relevant units; runs periodical analysis reports based on the results
achieved from databases; dissemination of these reports on the central and local level;
analysis of received reports and coordination with other relevant institutions.
5.1.3 Legal aspects of CRMS
The TCA has adopted statutory instruments that cover the CRM: Customs Code and Risk
Management Policy, Implementing Regulations, Administrative Instructions and Standard
Operational Procedures. The TCA has modern legislation in line with the EU acquis related to
customs matters and covers all the necessary aspects of the CRM concept. The Customs Code
and Customs Regulation, provide the definitions of “Risk” and “Risk Management,” allowing
customs control to be based on risk analysis on the central and local level.
It is mandatory for traders to submit to TCA the advance cargo information related to import
and transit consignments. This allows the TCA to conduct risk analysis for safety and security
on summary declarations before the arrival of goods.
Also, to facilitate legal trade, the TCA has introduced the AEO concept. The post-clearance
controls are based on risk analysis, determining the high-risk entities (companies, means of
transport and persons).
The National legislation confers power to the TCA to detain/seize the goods, means of transport
and persons. It seems that currently, the legal environment does not set any barriers to the use
of modern CRM.
As a part of the overall TCA customs strategy, the CRM strategy is oriented towards trade
facilitation, risk detection, prevention of non-compliance, revenue collection and safety, security
and environmental protection based on risk management.
The RA Department uses specific Standard Operational Procedures detailed with the steps that
the employee at a specific position needs to take to analyze, identify risk and create risk profiles.