Border Guards get Fingerprints in Gatwick
Home Office Press Release
9 October 2007
Passengers at the point of entry into the UK are having their fingerprints recorded in a new trial underway at London's Gatwick airport.
Immigration Minister Liam Byrne today visited Gatwick's North Terminal to see the BioDev project in action. The trial is part of complete overhaul of the UK's border security systems which already sees UKvisas collecting fingerprints from visa applicants across the world.
During the trial, which continues until April 2008, the fingerprints and photographs of passengers presenting biometric visas issued in Freetown, Sierra Leone will be checked again in the UK and anyone found attempting to enter the UK illegally will be refused entry.
The trial builds on the Border and Immigration Agency target to check biometrics from all non-EEA non-visa nationals at the UK arrivals control by 2011.
Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said:
"New fingerprint visas are fast becoming our first line of defence against illegal immigration. By establishing people's identities beyond any doubt before they enter the UK we can stamp out multiple applications and identity fraud - ensuring entry only to those who are welcome.
"Biometric technology is transforming the way we protect our borders. Through projects like the BioDev trial we are creating a triple ring of security: identifying individuals before they travel to the UK through a biometric visa, then checking it at the border, and finally, from 2008, rolling out ID cards for foreign nationals in the UK."
Compulsory fingerprinting is now part of the UK visa application process in more than 100 countries worldwide. Fingerprints are checked against UK Government records to see if the individual is already known to the Border and Immigration Agency. This has already seen over 8,000 sets of prints matched quickly and successfully to individuals of concern, proving the effectiveness of the biometric checks.
Notes to Editor:
1. The first phase of the project began on 18 September at Gatwick North and is due to finish in April 2008.
2. Fixing a person's identity through biometrics helps to:
- prevent unlawful travel to the UK;
- reduce abuse of the UK's immigration and asylum systems;
- combat visa fraud;
- reduce unfounded asylum claims;
- improve the smooth running of the visa service; and
- protect an individual's identity.
3. Motorola has provided its Identity Management