in the news. For us it seems to highlight ongoing problems.

We do think that there has been some general movement toward better traveller relations at the Airport. The system of a controlled line of people so that the first in line is the first served is a great improvement. It has stopped people getting in a slow line or a line where the officer is undertaking an extended search. It also seems to have stopped porters with carts barging to the front of the line. It is necessary however to be sure that people stick to the lines and that some members of the public are not favoured nor are some members of the public simply allowed to walk ahead of the lines. It does happen.

We must also grapple once and for all with the problem of baggage carts for travellers. We have some carts now but they are in the wrong places. The object is to make a person's trip through the Airport easier and carts should be free and they should be placed more conveniently.

The plan should be to make the Airport more welcoming. To that end it needs Welcome To Bermuda signs. But it also has to be welcoming in terms of service to travellers both arriving and departing. We are a service oriented Country catering to visitors who can easily go elsewhere.

It seems to us that Bermuda has a tendency to run its Airport as a Civil Service run Police station full of dos and don'ts. It should not be there to frighten people or to keep them in order. It does not need nor should it have an obvious "Big Brother is watching'' atmosphere. The Airport is there to assist people to travel comfortably and efficiently. We should not forget that it is the first and last impression most visitors have of Bermuda.

It is perfectly true that the point of arrival from overseas in any country also has a Customs and Immigration function. In Bermuda that function is very important. Customs officers have a duty to protect Bermuda's tax income by preventing the smuggling of dutiable goods. In recent years these officers have also had to deal with the difficult and dangerous problems created by the drug culture and drug smuggling.

Customs and Immigration must do their duty and that duty is sometimes unpleasant for both the officer and the passenger and that applies to both travelling locals and visitors. Some people who are questioned and searched are going to complain even when there is justification for the search. Often innocent people will be searched and questioned but that does not make the search wrong nor does it mean that there was no justification for the search.

It's the old story. If you have nothing to hide you are safe.

We think that a problem can arise from how the search and the questioning is conducted. A search and questioning can be done firmly but politely but they should be explained. We think there is a tendency, sometimes bred of uncertainty, to do the intervention in the accusative. That makes people angry and leads to complaints. However, it does not mean the search should not have taken place nor does it mean the search was wrong. It may mean the search was poorly conducted.