Border Force
Border Force is a British law enforcement command within the Home Office, responsible for frontline border control operations at air, sea and rail ports in the United Kingdom. The force was part of the now defunct UK Border Agency from its establishment in 2008 until Home Secretary Theresa May demerged it in March 2012 after severe criticism of the senior management.
Border Force was formed on 1 March 2012, becoming accountable directly to ministers. It is responsible for immigration and customs controls and the screening of passengers, freight and port staff at 140 rail, air and sea ports in the UK and western Europe, as well as thousands of smaller airstrips, ports and marinas. The work of the Border Force is monitored by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. In 2024, an additional Border Security Command was established, specifically to tackle organised immigration crime.
Border Force officers can hold the powers of both customs officers and immigration officers.
Their duties also include counter-terrorism, part of which is to detect and deter the illicit importation of radioactive and nuclear material by terrorists or criminals.
Aside from powers listed below in relation to immigration and customs, section 2 of the Borders Act 2007 also allows designated officers of the Border Force to detain anyone for any criminal offence or arrest warrant at a port if the Border Officer thinks they would be liable to arrest by a police constable.
The power allows detention for three hours pending the arrival of a police constable. The power also applies to points of entry in Belgium and France where Border Officers work, whereby the Border Officer will turn the detained person over to Belgian or French police officers as appropriate.
History
Background and establishment
Prior to 2007 three agencies were responsible for border control in the UK:- Uniformed customs officers from HM Revenue and Customs dealt with customs
- Immigration and Nationality Directorate dealt with all immigration roles within the UK and at the border,
- and UKVisas issued visas both from the UK and its offices abroad.
In 2005, HMCE and Inland Revenue merged to form HMRC, however HMRC was still responsible for customs control at the border until 2009. Throughout 2006 and 2007 there were suggestions for a merged border control department.
Initially this plan was to turn the Immigration and Nationality Directorate into a uniformed body of Immigration officers at the border, the Border and Immigration Agency.
The BIA was created on 1 April 2007. It was short lived and was replaced only a year later on 1 April 2008 by the UK Border Agency. The UK Border Agency was a merger of the BIA, UKvisas and the port customs functions of HM Revenue and Customs. It created one of the largest law enforcement bodies in the UK.
On 5 November 2011, following various failings of the UKBA, then-Home Secretary Theresa May said that an independent inquiry would be undertaken, led by the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency John Vine. UK Border Force became a separate organisation on 1 March 2012.
After establishment
The first Director General of Border Force was the former Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police Brian Moore, who was appointed on secondment on an interim basis to last until 31 August 2012 and was expected to apply for the position permanently, despite criticism of his management of passport queues. On 10 July 2012, Immigration Minister Damian Green confirmed that Moore had not applied for the post, despite Moore earlier telling the Home Affairs Select Committee that he would be applying.Tony Smith was appointed as interim Director General of Border Force on 19 September 2012. Smith was previously Gold Commander for the London 2012 Olympic Programme and Regional Director for London and the South East in the UK Border Agency and has spent forty years in border control and enforcement work.
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Montgomery was named as the new Director General on 25 January 2013.
In June 2017 Montgomery left Border Force and Paul Lincoln was appointed as the new Director General. Neither of the two had any previous experience of immigration or customs.
Responsibilities
The stated responsibilities of the Home Office's Border Force are the following:- checking the immigration status of people arriving in and departing the UK
- searching baggage, vehicles and cargo for illicit goods or illegal immigrants
- patrolling the British coastline and searching vessels
- gathering intelligence
- alerting the police and security services to people of interest
In July 2024, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the creation of the Border Security Command, an appendant supervisory body of the Border Force that will be tasked with tackling organised immigration crime. The new unit will report to the Home Secretary directly and will direct the National Crime Agency, intelligence agencies, and police on how to break up smuggling gangs.
Organisation and operations
Border Force has six operational regions:- Central;
- Heathrow;
- North;
- South;
- South East;
- and Europe.
This includes the Eurostar from Brussels and Paris to St Pancras International and the Eurotunnel from Coquelles to Folkestone.
There are approximately 10,000 people who work in Border Force, according to the UK Government website.
The regions' work includes stopping 100 percent of passengers arriving at ports or airports for immigration controls.
Officers also conduct risk-led interceptions for controlled drugs, cash, tobacco, alcohol, firearms, offensive weapons, prohibited goods, counterfeit goods and clandestine entrants.
They do this at passenger and freight controls, covering passengers travelling on foot, by car, coaches, freight vehicles, as well as air freight and sea containers.
Officers
Members of the BF are known as "Border Force officers" and are civil servants, part of HM's Civil Service.Powers
Staff hold a mixture of powers granted to them by their status as immigration officers and designated customs officials.Immigration powers
Immigration officers have powers of arrest and detention conferred on them by the Immigration Act 1971 and subsequent Immigration Acts, when both at ports and inland. In practice, non-arrest trained Border Force immigration officers exercise powers under Schedule 2 of the Immigration Act 1971, while inland immigration officers work under S28A-H of the Immigration Act 1971 and paragraph 17 of Schedule 2 of the same Act, as do arrest-trained Border Force immigration officers at the frontier.Historically, port and inland immigration officers received different training to reflect these different approaches to immigration enforcement, which is now reinforced by inland officers working for Immigration Enforcement, a separate Home Office Command.
"Designated Immigration Officers" are Border Force immigration officers who have been designated with additional detention powers, under Sections 1 to 4 of the UK Borders Act 2007, where a person at a port or airport is suspected of being liable to arrest by a police officer for non-border offences.
Customs powers
Border Force officers designated as customs officials under the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 have wide-ranging powers of entry, search, seizure and arrest. They hold the same customs and excise powers as officers of HM Revenue and Customs, but cannot use HMRC powers for non-border matters, such as Income Tax and VAT. Amongst their powers is the ability to arrest anyone who has committed, or whom the officer has reasonable grounds to suspect has committed, any offence under the Customs and Excise Acts. They may also seize prohibited and restricted goods, such as controlled drugs and firearms, as well as ensuring that imported goods bear the correct taxes and duties.Director-General
- Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Montgomery
- Paul Lincoln
- Phil Douglas
Rank insignia
| BF Rank | Epaulette Insignia | Personal Number Displayed |
| Administrative Assistant | Plain | Yes |
| Assistant Officer | Single Chevron | Yes |
| Officer | Single Bath Star 'Pip' | Yes |
| Higher Officer | 2 Bath Star 'Pips' | Yes |
| Senior Officer | 3 Bath Star 'Pips' | No |
| Assistant Director | St Edward's Crown | No |
| Deputy Director | St Edward's Crown above a Single Bath Star 'Pip' | No |
| Director | Single Bath Star 'Pip' above a Laurel wrapped Portcullis | No |
| Senior Director | St Edward's Crown above a Laurel wrapped Portcullis | No |
| Director General | St Edward's Crown above 2 Bath Star 'Pips' above a Laurel wrapped Portcullis | No |
Uniform and equipment
All BF officers wear a dark blue uniform.BF officers always wear their rank and personal number on an epaulette.
Officers carry batons, handcuffs, radios and may wear a stab vest, or equipment vest. BF also has a dog unit and dog handlers.