Operational customs supervision

The operational customs supervision ( OZA ) is carried out by the customs authorities in the customs offices of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance in the field. The term OZA is used to organizationally differentiate field service activities from supervisory measures that can be carried out in the office or from such measures that are carried out either by other organizational units of the customs offices or by organs of the public security service when they participate in the business of the customs administration. The organs of the OZA carry out stationary and mobile surveillance and control measures in the border area, but also in the rest of Germany. During these missions you are usually dressed in a uniform (uniform rules do not apply) and armed. Due to their tasks, the OZA and the group of travel customs officers are the successors of the customs guard .

tasks

The area of ​​responsibility includes the following areas:

• Combating smuggling, especially of cigarettes
• Excise controls, especially for alcoholic beverages and mineral oil
• Control of bans and restrictions, especially in the area of counterfeit products , weapons and war material , pharmaceuticals , illegal drugs , etc.
• Protection of species of plants and animals

Within this area of ​​responsibility, the OZA units carry out the following activities:

• Implementation of key actions both in flowing freight and / or travel as well as stationary,
• Focused control of third country goods,
• Selection of vehicles and means of transport of all types to be precisely examined and the goods carried by them
• Processing of resulting criminal matters
• Control of excise goods in the tax area
• Participation in key actions and planned measures to combat tax / customs fraud

Powers

The powers of the OZA are standardized in the Customs Law Implementation Act . She is entitled to stop the flow of traffic as part of her work at traffic controls. It is also entitled to carry out ID checks. As part of the official supervision, the officials are also entitled to issue penal orders, to file reports and to carry out arrests. The organs of the OZA are also authorized to use weapons within the meaning of the Weapons Use Act .

equipment

The operational customs control currently has a fleet of around 20 vehicles. Of which a part is to blue light , a siren and office equipment equipped and transmits the identifier , the identifier FV (financial management). There are also civil vehicles. The vehicles of the OZA also include two mobile truck scanners and an X-ray vehicle. In their work, the staff also have service dogs to help them search for tobacco, cash, conservation articles and illegal drugs.

Service dress

The official dress of the OZA staff consists of dark gray trousers, a dark gray top, a dark gray jacket with the inscription "Federal Ministry of Finance - Customs / Customs" on the back, as well as a gray baseball cap or a gray barrett with the federal emblem in the version of the Treasury.

Web links

• Federal Ministry of Finance - Operational Customs Supervision
• meiningen.vol.at - "Border police have left Meiningen"

Individual evidence

1. ↑ www.ris.bka.gv.at
2. ↑ Customs Law Implementation Act
3. ↑ Figure u. a. the uniform cap of the operational customs control  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.