Could the “secret” decision taken by Home Office ministers to relax passport checks on foreigners have allowed extremists and criminals to enter Britain?
The recent events at the UK Border Agency (UKBA), which is part of the Home Office, have raised fears that foreign criminals and terrorists could have been allowed to enter Britain. Reinforcing the importance of carrying out robust pre-employment screening and in particular immigration and right to work checks. Organisations that take identity and right to work information at face value may not only be liable to fines for employing illegal workers but also the potential to recruit an extremist or criminal too!
In July 2011, Home Office ministers asked officials to consider measures to cut queues at airports and ports during the summer season, Damian Green, the immigration minister, then told the UKBA to relax checks on people carrying British passports and those from other European countries. The order meant that thousands of foreign nationals were able to enter the UK without full checks on their travel documents. Instead of scanning microchips in passports that carry biometric information (which cannot be forged), officials were told to only check photographs and passport expiry dates. The July instruction was never announced to Parliament or the public. It was followed later in the summer by the relaxation of passport checks on some foreigners with non-European passports. Brodie Clark, the head of UKBA’s Border Force, was suspended along with two of his senior officials over the decision to relax passport checks. The Home Secretary, Theresa May is said to have learnt of the second relaxation of passport checks at the beginning of November, whereupon she ordered an internal inquiry and a second, wider review of the performance of the UKBA.
Norman Mortell, Director of Operations at Agenda Security Services said “The debate over whether Ministerial approval was provided or not will go on, we also understand that pre-travel checks will have provided a level of reassurance, however, it is clear that a basic photograph and expiry date check of a passport is not adequate. Agenda has always highlighted the danger of taking the authenticity of any legal looking document at face value and strongly urges organisations to ensure that robust and appropriate checks of documentation are conducted.”
If you have any concerns about appropriate passport/identification or right to work checks contact us now for free and confidential help at info@agenda-security.co.uk.
