An American tourist has accused Customs officers of "spiteful, offensive behaviour" in making repeated searches of his luggage and asking him and his companion personal questions.

Jarmel Dawson of Brooklyn, New York, travelled to Bermuda on March 7 for a five-day vacation at Elbow Beach.

Upon arrival at L.F. Wade International Airport however, he said he and his companion Josiane Louis were subjected to "invasive" questions.

In addition, Mr. Dawson said he underwent a physical search as a Customs officer swept the belt around his waist with a "plastic unconventional stick with a cotton swab on the end".

He said the nature of the questioning and search by four officers done "in the open" in front of other passengers, left him and Ms Louis feeling "humiliated".

Mr. Dawson, a power cable supervisor with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, contacted The Royal Gazette about his ordeal. "I'm fully cognisant of our rights and privacy.

"For Bermudian Customs officials to infringe upon them is bold, unprofessional and rude," he said. "Please assist us in finding closure to this humiliating experience."

Mr. Dawson described the officers' behaviour as "unprofessional". He said they treated him and Ms Louis, a financial analyst, with "no dignity and respect".

"What nerve of them to inquire how we financed our trip? What we both do for a living? Why do both of us have two bags each, if we were only staying for five days?" he said.

"They even insinuated that we had something to hide due to our frustration. In addition, there were silly inquiries as to why we had nice clothing. I honestly believe they were trying to make a public spectacle of us."

Mr. Dawson said: "Your Customs staff checked our bags at least three times each and found nothing of importance. Please tell me why my companion and I were there for approximately an hour and 45 minutes.

"Lording and treating foreigners as subordinates isn't right, nor should it be accepted."

Yesterday Collector of Customs Winifred Fostine-DeSilva said: "Customs officers in Bermuda and throughout the world have a tremendously difficult task in identifying persons who may be smuggling goods and other contraband, hence the use of non-intrusive examination equipment and our K9 (canine) teams as tools to assist us in the execution of our duty.

"I recognise that occasionally, innocent travellers may be called upon to undergo a level of close questioning and intimate examination. This is a reality that the Bermuda Customs Department has had to accept given the increasing frequency with which restricted and prohibited goods are being discovered concealed on or inside of the person, of passengers and crew arriving and departing from Bermuda."

Mrs. Fostine-DeSilva said: "I trust that travellers and the public will appreciate that our efforts to identify and seize prohibited and restricted goods, such as illegal drugs and firearms, not only protect the people of our community but also ensures the safety of our visitors.

"It is indeed my hope that travellers will accept our regrets for any inconvenience that they may have experienced while being processed by Customs officers at the airport, and that if they are concerned about the process that they will ask to speak to the manager on duty who will address their concerns.

"Alternatively travellers may lodge a formal complaint. All complaints are fully investigated by a senior manager and a substantive response provided to the complainant."

The complaints procedure can be found on the website: www.customs.gov.bm.