WCO Customs Enforcement
Network Applications
WCO CEN Applications
• Customs
Administrations
• Customs
Administrations
• Customs
Administrations
• External
Organizations
global system
containing nonnominal data

national system
containing nominal data
CEN is managed by the WCO while nCEN is managed at the national level
global
national

Seizures and offences

Seizures and offences

Photos

Suspects

Companies

Photos
Non-nominal part of the data can be transferred between the nCEN and the CEN
automatically with the use of Icomm
secured
communication tool
for operational
purposes
system with a database
(non-nominal) and other
enforcement tools

No link between the two applications

Information can only be transferred between the applications
manually by the owner of the information
A network is strength in numbers…

Central global depositary of enforcement related information

Access to data from January 2011 for customs officers only

External organizations can only have access to the CEN website

Available in English, French, and Spanish

More then 314 553 cases

3521 cases with 16 185 photos

1763 users from 139 countries
CEN users
964
106
72
174
1763
148
299

Split into 13 different commodities

Excel templates exist for all commodities

Predefined structure of the database for easy data entry

A minimum amount of mandatory information to guarantee quality
analysis

Powerful search function for cases and pictures

Statistics function with predefined queries

Accessible from all browsers

An automatic reminder 10 days before an account is blocked

Pop-up alerts with information about latest updates

A password reset function available to NCPs

A forum for users to voice their ideas on system defaults or desired
improvements
Excel upload of data to the CEN:

Almost 211 000 cases of different commodities have been uploaded to
the CEN
That’s around 66 % of all cases entered in the CEN

20 countries use the excel upload function
 CENComm operations’ non-nominal part of data can be uploaded to the
CEN
CEN website:

Accessible to external organizations

Alert messages divided into main commodities

WCO and Member reports

RILO publications and analyses

Customs press releases
Bridging the gap through technology…

A central depository of nominal Customs seizures and offences,
suspected persons, means of concealment, and offending
business entities at the national level

Accessible only to national customs enforcement officers

An Information Communication Interface (Icomm) for data
exchange between nCEN systems and for transmission of nonnominal information to the CEN database
Meets international security standards

An nCEN security audit has been carried out and
recommendations implemented

nCEN package will be delivered with mandatory Information
Security Guidelines

nCEN software is free

Pilot Project in Mauritius and Kenya

Start of implementation in the ESA Region in 2013

nCEN package contains the Icomm tool for data exchange
between nCEN systems and for transmission of non-nominal
information to the CEN database
Roll-out plan per country:
Receipt
of questionnaire
Evaluation
Pre-assessment mission (if applicable)
Purchase of hardware and installation of software
Training
Post-deployment support
Live operation and project completion
Roll-out begins with the ESA region:

Mauritius operates live from 2012

Questionnaires assembled have been evaluated

Pre-deployment missions are in progress

A shortlist of countries to be confirmed upon completion of the missions

Detailed procurement guidelines and market research to assist with the
hardware procurement process

Risks are identified and mitigation measures put in place
Real-time secure communication…

Sharing of information and intelligence to enhance
cross-border communication

Exchange of nominal information

Possible upload of non-nominal part of information to the
CEN database manually or automatically

Organizer of the operation/project decides who participates

Different levels of access

Secure communication system –
personal login and password

A flexible and user-friendly tool

Encrypted data storage on the WCO server

Accessible only to closed user groups (CUG) for the
duration of their active operation or project

Operational Coordination Unit (OCU) can be setup
anywhere in the world. The only requirement is an
internet connection

WCO is part of the testing phase only, for the
operational phase the WCO is out of the CUG

Available in six languages: English, French,
German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian
* soon available in Arabic!

Automatic creation of the newsletters containing operation
statistics, seizures information (including photos), involvement
international organizations, information from other partners etc.

Allow CUG organizer to create and reset passwords related to
their group (OCU+)

OCU able to create and ACCESS database of the seizures at any
time during the operation
An automatic alert to the user’s personal
email account to inform them of a new
message or a new document in the library
Possibility to choose the language in which the
application/templates will be displayed





Different user ‘roles’ and possibility to amend
user information
Formatted templates and a message
database
Links to other projects
Library
Operational details and statistics
Mailbox:

Keeps an accurate record of all formatted messages- certainty that a
message is delivered

Enables to see if your message was already read by the recipients

Enables to send multiple attachments of up to 10 MB (all file types)

To arrange messages in topic folders e.g. feedback, seizure or
warning messages

To reply to warning messages with the feedback or a seizure
messages

Automatic alerts inform users that a message is waiting in the mailbox
WARNING
FEEDBACK
SEIZURE
Library:

Users can share reports, newsletters, other reference documents

Possibility to create folders for each category of document

Upload of up to 10 MB (all types of files)

Automatic alert when new items has been added to the library

59 operations and projects in 2012, the highest number in CENcomm
history

More than 900 users registered for short term operations and more
than 1560 for long term projects

Increasing customization of the system tailored to the needs of a
specific operation
Programme Global SHIELD
(WCO/ UNODC/ INTERPOL) – preventing the illicit diversion and
trafficking of precursor chemicals which may be used by terrorist and other
criminal organizations to manufacture explosive devices
ENVIRONET
Global real time communication tool for
information exchange and cooperation in
daily environmental enforcement
Among officers:
Customs, national environmental authorities, police, international
organizations, and their regional networks
For: information exchange, expert consultation, identification, and
cooperation
AIRCOP
Establishment of real-time secured operational
communication between selected airports
Thank you for your attention!
WCO CEN Team
Email: cis@wcoomd.org