British Border Security Chiefs Failing to Carry Out Checks

Border and aviation security has again hit the headlines as it has come to light that security checks have not been carried out by government officials on asylum seekers in the UK,

The process of border security is a complex one that in aviation starts with the transmission of advance passenger information and passenger name records (PNR).

Airlines are obligated to submit this information when travelling between certain countries and face tough fines if they don’t comply.

For airlines, both commercial and in the business aviation sector, there are multiple options for transmission of this data, one of which is a service provided by ARINC called AviSec. This offers a per flight or flat rate pricing structure, geared towards cost efficiency for airlines or business jets.

As border security continues to be of grave concern, and airlines continue to have tighter regulation imposed upon them, it seems that it is the officials that need to be monitored to complete the enforcement process beyond the airport.

Independent Chief Inspector John Vine, of Borders and Immigration said of the current process for asylum seekers already in the UK that many cases were archived with little attempt to trace the asylum seeker. He added: “Security checks on controlled archive cases had not been undertaken routinely or consistently since April 2011. This was unacceptable. Through the inefficiency and delay of the Agency, those who would otherwise have faced removal will have accrued rights to remain in the UK.”