Border Guards get Uniforms Nationally
Home Office Press Release
4 October 2007
Travellers passing through UK ports and airports will be met by uniformed border control officials in dark blue suits and light blue shirts, the Border and Immigration Agency's (BIA) Director of Border Control Brodie Clark confirmed today.
The new uniforms, combined with clear signage marking out the border, make it clear to arriving passengers that they are entering UK territory. Their national rollout creates the highly visible uniformed presence at the border outlined in the Prime Minister's statement on national security in July.
Meeting frontline border control teams at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 1, Brodie Clark said:
"Strong borders are a vital national line of defence against terrorism and crime. That's why we have increased immigration policing and, through the rollout of uniforms and signage, are creating a single highly visible presence at the border.
"Initial feedback from staff and the travelling public towards the uniforms has been very positive and this is an important step forward. Allied to the increased use of biometric technology - both fingerprints and iris - at our borders, we are strengthening both the presence and powers of our border guards."
Measures in place at Heathrow Airport to ensure security at the border include new technology which allows immigration staff to scan biometric data in new e-passports, allowing fraud and forgery checks to be undertaken quickly and securely. Travel documents are also checked against the UK watch list which includes details of known criminals and immigration offenders.
The Iris Recognition Immigration System (IRIS) also allows trusted travellers, who have registered in advance, to have their eyes scanned and enter the UK through automated immigration control barriers. 125,000 people have already enrolled since its launch in March 2006. This is part of the commitment to ensure that legitimate travellers are processed without unnecessary delay.
Nationally, checks on 20 million passengers travelling in and out of the UK in 2006 resulted in 12,000 individuals being followed up for further checks and 1,000 arrests for a whole series of offences.
Last year BIA staff prevented 17,000 people crossing the channel illegally. At juxtaposed controls in France and Belgium BIA caught 3,900 people trying to enter Britain through clandestine means.
Notes to Editors
1. For more information on 'Securing the UK Border' visit: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/aboutus/Securing_the_UK_Border_final.pdf
2. In the past two years there has been a 38 per cent boost in operational staff at the UK's borders - resulting in nearly 1,000 additional operational officers.
3. The introduction of uniforms for BIA frontline officers at the UK border started at Gatwick & Stansted on 13th August 2007.
4. Staff have been involved in an extensive consultation exercise to inform the design of the uniform and have played a significant part in supporting its introduction.