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UK Border Security WWW.IPPR.ORG UKBorderSecurity: Issues,systemsandrecentreforms AsubmissiontotheipprCommissiononNationalSecurityforthe21stCentury byFrankGregory ProfessorofEuropeanSecurityandJeanMonnetChairinEuropeanPoliticalIntegration,University ofSouthampton March2009 ©ippr2009 InstituteforPublicPolicyResearch Challengingideas– Changingpolicy 2 ippr|UKBorderSecurity:Issues,systemsandrecentreforms Aboutippr TheInstituteforPublicPolicyResearch(ippr)istheUK’sleadingprogressivethinktank,producing cutting-edgeresearchandinnovativepolicyideasforajust,democraticandsustainableworld.Since 1988,wehavebeenattheforefrontofprogressivedebateandpolicymakingintheUK.Throughour independentresearchandanalysiswedefinenewagendasforchangeandprovidepracticalsolutions tochallengesacrossthefullrangeofpublicpolicyissues. WithofficesinbothLondonandNewcastle,weensureouroutlookisasbroad-basedaspossible, whileourinternationalandmigrationteamsandclimatechangeprogrammeextendourpartnerships andinfluencebeyondtheUK,givingusatrulyworld-classreputationforhighqualityresearch. ippr,30-32SouthamptonStreet,LondonWC2E7RA.Tel:+44(0)2074706100E:[email protected] www.ippr.org.RegisteredCharityNo.800065 ThispaperwasfirstpublishedinMarch2009.©ippr2009 ipprCommissiononNationalSecurity TheipprCommissiononNationalSecurityisanall-partyCommissionpreparinganindependent nationalsecuritystrategyfortheUK.Itisco-chairedbyLordRobertsonofPortEllenandLord AshdownofNorton-sub-Hamdon.ThefullCommissionmembershipincludes: •LordPaddyAshdown,Co-Chair,formerleader •SirChrisFox,formerChiefConstableof oftheLiberalDemocraticPartyandformer NorthamptonshireandformerPresidentof HighRepresentativeforBosnia. theAssociationofChiefPoliceOfficers. •LordGeorgeRobertson,Co-Chair,former •ProfessorMichaelClarke,Director,Royal SecretaryofStateforDefenceandformer UnitedServicesInstitute,andProfessorof SecretaryGeneralofNATO. DefenceStudiesatKing’sCollegeLondon. •DrIanKearns,DeputyChair,DeputyDirector, •ProfessorTariqModood,Directorofthe ippr. LeverhulmeProgrammeonMigrationand Citizenship,BristolUniversity. •SirJeremyGreenstock,Directorofthe DitchleyFoundationandformerBritish •ConstanzeStelzenmüller,Directorofthe AmbassadortotheUnitedNations. BerlinofficeoftheGermanMarshallFund. •SirDavidOmand,formersecurityand •ProfessorJimNorton,formerchiefexecutive intelligencecoordinatorintheCabinetOffice oftheRadioCommunicationsAgencyand andformerPermanentSecretaryintheHome nowattheInstituteofDirectors. Office. •IanTaylorMP,ChairoftheConservativeParty •LordCharlesGuthrie,formerChiefofthe PolicyTask-forceonScience,Technology, DefenceStaff. EngineeringandMathematics,Conservative MPforEsherandWaltonandformerminister •LordMartinRees,PresidentoftheRoyal forScienceandTechnologyatthe SocietyandMasterofTrinityCollege, DepartmentofTradeandIndustry. Cambridge. Fundersofippr’sworkonsecurityinclude:Raytheon,EDS,Booz&Co,DeLaRue,theDepartment forInternationalDevelopment,theCabinetOffice,theSwedishForeignMinistry,NationalGrid, Ofcom,BAESystems,AmnestyInternational,theEconomicandSocialResearchCouncilandClifford Chance.FormoreinformationontheworkoftheCommissionpleasegotowww.ippr.org/security Theviewsinthispaperarethoseoftheauthoraloneandarebeingpublishedhereinthehopeof advancingpublicdebate.TheydonotrepresenttheviewsoftheCommissionpanelortheviewsof anysponsoringorganisation. 3 ippr|UKBorderSecurity:Issues,systemsandrecentreforms Introduction IssuesofbordersecurityfeaturefrequentlyincontemporaryBritishpoliticsasmajorpublicpolicy problems.Amongtheareasofconcernareterrorism,drugtrafficking,humantraffickingandpeople smuggling,theneedtoexercisecontrolsforhuman,plantandanimalhealthprotectionandtheillicit tradeinweapons.Bordersecurityisessentiallyariskmanagementprocessandinvolvesamixof individual,publicsectorandprivatesectorresponsibilities.Therearepush/pullfactorstoconsiderin termsoftheillicitmovementsofpeopleanddemand/supplyfactorstoconsiderinrelationtoillicit goods. Inthispapertheuseoftheterm‘borders’willcoverboththecommonlyunderstoodmeaningsofland frontiersbetweensovereignstates,internationalairportsandmajorseaportsandthecontemporary usagesofnewtechnology1 andinternationalcooperationthatcanprovideforoff-shorebordercontrol (forexample,juxtaposedcontrols)andpre-arrivalscreening(viae-borders)(UKBA2008b,Cabinet Office2007).TheUK’sfirst‘NationalSecurityStrategy’(NSS)regards‘strongborders’(whichthe documentfailstoexplicitlydefine)as‘essentialtoprotectagainstterrorism,crimeandillegal immigration’andstatesitsaspirationtocreatea‘modern,intelligence-ledbordercontrolandsecurity framework’(CabinetOffice2008:56-57). Thispaperwill,inpart,evaluatetheNSSapproachandaspirationsregardingbordersecurity,although itisaproblematictimetoassessUKbordersecurity,as2008sawthetransitionfromtheold fragmentedbordercontrolssystemwithrolesdividedbetweenimmigration,customsandpolice authoritiestothemoreintegratedapproachrepresentedbythecreationofthenewUKBorder Agency(UKBA),whosepersonnelpossess‘customs,immigrationandpolice-likepowers’(UKBA 2008b:16).Itisstilltooearlytojudgetheeffectivenessofthisbody.Thereforetheanalysislooksat broadissues,pastoutcomemeasuresforbordercontrolsandexpectationsfromthenewsystems. Inparticular,thispaperreviewscurrentUKborderstrategy,examinestrendsinglobalmovementswith specialregardtotheUK’spositionandthenconsidersthreepriorityareasofUKborderstrategy: peoplemovementcontrols,drugtraffickingcontrolsandanti-terrorismcontrols.Thepaperalso considersafter-entrycontrolsorresponses,recognisingthattherewillcontinuetobeillicitentriesof peopleandcontrolledgoodsandtheneedtomanagetheasylumrequestprocessinordertoeffect theremovalofthosepersonswhoseclaimsarenotacceptedorgivenleavetoremainonother grounds. TheUK’sgeneralborderstrategy UKpoliticianshavelongmaintainedthatthecountry’sgeographygivesitaparticularopportunityto secureitsbordersindependentlybecauseofitsrelativelackoflandborderswithanotherstate.The UK-RepublicofIrelandlandborderpositionisregulatedbytheCommonTravelAreaarrangements thatalsoapplytotheCrowndependencies(theIsleofManandtheChannelIslands)andtheChannel TunnelisgovernedbytheUK-Francetreatyarrangementsforjuxtaposedcontrols.2 However,the realitiesofthefreemovementprinciplesoftheEuropeanUnion’sSingleMarketprogramme– includingthefactthatundertheEUCommonCustomsareapolicythereisapresumptionagainst systematicchecksonintra-EUgoodstrafficandtherightoffreemovementforthecitizensofthe 1.Itisimportanttorecognisethatapparenttechnological‘solutions’tobordersecurityarenotwithout potential‘costs’intermsofindividualliberties.Forexample,concernhasbeenraisedabouttheintrusive natureofnewhigh-definitionbody-scanningX-ray(virtual‘strip-search’)deviceswhichweresettobe deployedatairportsandwhichhaveundergonesomeairporttrials.InNovember2008theEuropean Commissionwithdrewadraftregulation,whichwouldhavelistedtheseaspermittedscreeningmethods atEUairports,inresponsetoaEuropeanParliamentResolutionthatfoundthattheuseofthis technologycouldhaveaseriousimpactonthefundamentalrightsofcitizens(seeEuropeanParliament 2008). 2.ProposalsforUK-IrelandlandborderidentitycheckscontainedinCommonTravelAreachangesinthe Borders,CitizenshipandImmigrationBill(seeUKParliament2009)havebeencriticisedonhumanrights grounds(seeNorthernIrelandHumanRightsCommission2009). 4 ippr|UKBorderSecurity:Issues,systemsandrecentreforms enlargedEU(around106millionpeople)andtheEuropeanEconomicAreastates–meanthatUK bordercontrolsareconstrainedbyEUmembershipobligations.ThisisinspiteofthefactthattheUK hasnegotiated‘opt-outs’frompartsoftheEUbordercontrolregimeandisnotaSchengenTreaty signatory.3 Nevertheless,sincenegotiatingitsspecialbordercontrolarrangementswithintheEU,theUKhas founditnecessaryanddesirabletoseek‘opt-ins’totheSchengensysteminrespectoftheSchengen InformationSystem(SIS)toallowUKaccesstoSchengencross-borderdatasharing.Referencetothe SchengenconceptofIntegratedBorderManagement(IBM)providesausefulcomparatorchecklistfor evaluatingUKpractice.TheSchengenIBMrequirestheretobeborderchecksandsurveillance,cross- bordercrimecontrolcapacity,multi-formataccessmeasures(includingthoseinthirdcountries),inter- borderagencycooperationandcoordinationwiththeEUandotherEUstates(EuropeanCouncil 2008b).ThispaperwilldemonstratethattheUKpracticebroadlyconformstothedominantIBM conceptintheEU. UKbordercontrolstrategyhasonlybeenorganisedinanintegratedfashionsince2007.Previouslyit wasmoreusualfortheretobediscussionsofparticularbordercontrolsbyreferencetothefunctional remitsofwhatwerethenthethreeprincipalbordercontrolagencies:theImmigrationandNationality Directorate(IND),HMCustoms&Excise(C&E)andpolice(portsSpecialBranch[SB]unitsandmajor airportspolicing).Theproblemsofthisfragmentedapproachhavebeenhighlightedbyanumberof studiesbytheNationalAuditOffice(NAO)andtheCommonsHomeAffairsCommittee.In2008the UKBorderAgencywasthereforeestablishedtobringtogetherstafffromtheBorderandImmigration Agency,theCustomsdetectionstafffromHMRevenue&CustomsandUKvisasfromtheForeignand CommonwealthOffice(UKBA2008b).4 TheUKBorderAgencyhas25,000staff,9,000ofwhichareintheactualBorderForce(Houseof CommonsDefenceCommittee2009),andthenewstrategyisexemplifiedbythefactthatmanyof thesearebasednotonlyintheUKbutalsoin135othercountries.Theemphasisinthenewstrategy ontacklingmanifestationsofimmigrationcrimewithintheUKisalsodemonstratedbythefactthat approximately7,500UKBAstaff(about30percentofthetotal)arebeingreorganisedoverthenext threeyearsinto70to80LocalImmigrationTeamsthatwillbedeployedacrosstheUK(UKBA2008c). Theotherrecentlyestablishedagencywithborder-security-relatedtasksistheSeriousandOrganised CrimeAgency(SOCA)whichhasincorporatedsomeborder-relateddutiesstafffromINDandHM Revenue&Customs(HMRC).Discussionsareongoingaboutintegrationissuesrelatedtothepolice
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