SINGAPORE: The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said heightened enforcement action has paid dividends, as seen in the statistics unveiled in its mid-year report card on Monday.

ICA said that although the smuggling of contraband items remained high, it dipped 4 per cent in the first half of this year compared to the year-ago period. The ICA dealt with 17,700 such cases in the first six months of the year.

Smuggling cigarettes into Singapore still tops the list. But the number of incidents has dropped from 12,000 in the first half of last year to 9,200 this year. Similarly, the quantity of cigarettes seized has also dived from 1.2 million packets last year to 393,000 this year.

ICA also said that fewer pirated discs were being smuggled into Singapore - 23 per cent fewer discs were confiscated. This, a spokesperson said, could not have been achieved without the use of technology in enforcement efforts.

"The bio-metric database for immigration clearance as well as for contrabands, we do have our non-intrusive scanning technologies that can help us scan the cargo, so that we can cut down on our manpower," said the spokesperson.

"We will continue looking into technology as well as training (for) our officers to get them to be more well-versed in the new modus operandi of these smugglers."

ICA, however, saw a 20 per cent increase in the number of security-related items seized. Travellers attempted to smuggle into Singapore items ranging from knuckle dusters and machetes to samurai swords and musket antique guns.

ICA said heightened checks contributed to the 41 per cent decline in the number of immigration offenders arrested at the checkpoints in the first half of this year.

There was also an 18 per cent drop in the number of illegal immigrants arrested inland.

The number of overstayers also declined 28 per cent. ICA said increased public awareness on immigration-related offences explained why fewer harbourers of immigration offenders were arrested.

The number of employers of immigration offenders also continued to remain low, at 64.

- 938LIVE.