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See other news storiesNew uniforms for border control officers
24 August 2007
Distinctive new uniforms will make it easier for travellers to identify border control staff, and should help the immigration process work more smoothly.
The new look rolled out at Gatwick today is part of a revised approach to dealing with travellers at points of entry, and will soon be sported by immigration officers around the country.
The uniforms - consisting of dark blue suits with light blue shirts - were first piloted at Stansted Airport, and are scheduled to roll out nation-wide at the end of September.
Making borders safer
The suits are part of a slate of improvements to be rolled out at airports and other access points. Other changes include new scanners to check the latest generation of e-passports, additional document checks to ensure passports are authentic and have not been altered, and checks against the UK watch list of known criminals
Visiting Gatwick to see the security measures in action, Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said the changes demonstrated that improving security measures at entry points is a top priority for the government.
'We are determined to improve public confidence in how immigration is managed,' he said. 'Key to this is the creation of highly visible staff at our borders, to deter people who have no right to be here.'
The use of biometric technology as part of improved border vigilance will make the country even safer over the coming years. Every year the airports get better at catching those attempting to enter the country illegally - more than 4,000 people were refused permission to enter the UK through Gatwick in 2006.
Willing to wait
While tougher security checks sometimes result in slightly increased waiting times for passengers, a recent survey showed that the vast majority of travellers - over 80% - think it is reasonable to wait a little longer to allow for more thorough entry checks.
Most agree that tougher security is particularly critical at the moment, and are willing to accept a little additional hassle in return for improved safety.
