U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka has expressed concern over the findings of a border security report that highlights vulnerabilities at land and air ports of entry.

"I am disturbed that Customs and Border Protection officers are working extensive overtime, including double shifts, and that they are not receiving all the training that they need to do their jobs properly," Akaka, D-Hawai'i, said Monday in a news release.

Akaka said he requested the Government Accountability Office to prepare the report because of concerns that Customs and Border Protection was short-staffed and that officers were not receiving adequate training.

"We owe the brave men and women charged with keeping terrorists, illegal drugs and other dangerous people and items out of the country much better training and working conditions," the senator said.

The GAO report found that insufficient staffing contributes to morale problems, fatigue, high turnover and safety problems, Akaka said. Much of the shortage is caused by the departure of officers who leave for other jobs with better benefits or retire, and many ports of entry are losing officers faster than they can hire replacements, he said.

According to Akaka, the GAO also found that weaknesses in the infrastructure of land border crossings could allow people to enter illegally, and that the border agency estimates that $4 billion in capital improvements on land borders are needed.

"We should invest in making the gateways to this country more secure, inviting and efficient, and to provide better work environments for CBP officers," Akaka said.