Over the past decades, the activities, responsibilities, and powers of customs authorities have evolved significantly. As ‘gatekeepers’ in today’s international trade environment, they are no longer exclusively engaged in the collection of revenue, but also increasingly in the protection of the broader safety, security and health of the state and its citizens. Surprisingly, however, where criminological debates and theories on non-traditional security providers are at rise, the developments of customs as an emerging actor in the (inter)national security field are mostly neglected. By studying the nature, role and involvement of the Belgian customs administration from a criminological perspective, this innovative project aims, firstly, to provide the necessary theoretical knowledge on their mechanisms to tackle customs fraud. Secondly, the research identifies essential shifts in the role and activities of customs in the specific domains of safety, security, and health. Finally, this research analyses the place of customs, as part of the public inspectorate agencies, within the current pluralised security landscape. Based on qualitative methods such as document analysis, interviews, focus groups and observations, the results of this study will contribute to research fields within criminology, law, political science and economics.