Halifax police have confirmed that only a single commissionaire was on duty at the city's Cerescorp terminal when four men slipped into the country, after the stowaways crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a shipping vessel.

The unarmed commissionaire asked the men for identification but they refused, and he called police.

"His instincts were right on the money," Halifax Regional Police Dep. Chief Tony Burbridge told reporters Tuesday. "He did the right thing and I have no problem with his performance."

The Halifax Port Authority pays to have a police officer at the terminal gate from time to time, but there is no policy that an officer should be present when a ship arrives.

Police began searching for the men soon after they slipped into the country. The stowaways were eventually caught about 100 kilometres away at a Via Rail station in Truro, N.S., where they had attempted to buy train tickets using European currency.

The men, believed to be Algerian, are now in custody at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility.

Liberal public safety critic Ujjal Dosanjh said the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) must be held responsible for the security lapse, along with Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.

"It's his responsibility. The buck stops with him," he told CTV Atlantic. "He should be accountable for what happens at the ports."

Dosanjh said there should be armed officers on guard at all times at Canada's shipping terminals.

"There should be federally-funded police and CBSA officers on a constant basis at the ports," he said.

During a news conference in Halifax on Tuesday, Day said he's not clear on all the details concerning the four stowaways, but added that the situation requires a full review by the CBSA.

"I think we can always look to improve security right across the board," he told reporters. Day had travelled to Halifax to announce funding to hire new police officers in the region.

He also accused the previous Liberal government of neglecting Canada's ports for years and said the Conservatives were working to correct the damage -- although the weekend incident happened two years after the Conservatives took power.

The four stowaways had a release hearing Tuesday afternoon at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility, but it was not open to the public.

Federal officials would not say why the hearing was made private. However, they explained the most common reason is when individuals make refugee claims.

With a report by CTV's Rick Grant in Halifax