Border Force volunteers?

[PDQ Mobile]

I am a bit puzzled by some of this.

Presumably anyone with a valid passport from any European country (EU or not) will still be able to enter Britain more or less by dint of showing said passport.
Just as we UK citizens will hopefully still be able to travel to Europe for holidays and visiting relations and friends just as we do now.
No visas etc required.

It is how long people stay, once here, that is the big bone of contention, but a "Border Force" has little influence on that.
Once your in, your in.
Or am I missing something?


The numbers of immigrants coming from say N. Africa by small sailing boat must be pretty small, comparatively, many more come by lorry or other road transport I would guess, and there are existing stringent customs checks that try to hinder those people.

So what is this new proposed volunteer force for?

[mercalia]

I am a bit puzzled by some of this.

Presumably anyone with a valid passport from any European country (EU or not) will still be able to enter Britain more or less by dint of showing said passport.
Just as we UK citizens will hopefully still be able to travel to Europe for holidays and visiting relations and friends just as we do now.
No visas etc required.

It is how long people stay, once here, that is the big bone of contention, but a "Border Force" has little influence on that.
Once your in, your in.
Or am I missing something?


The numbers of immigrants coming from say N. Africa by small sailing boat must be pretty small, comparatively, many more come by lorry or other road transport I would guess, and there are existing stringent customs checks that try to hinder those people.

So what is this new proposed volunteer force for?

window dressing?

[reohn2]

I've never heard or read complaints that specials are unprofessional.

One suspects many specials go on to join the regular police force

If that is true then assuming a good proportion of Border Force volunteers want a paid job then they will be good and efficient at their volunteer jobs so they get picked out for paid roles. And it also means there will be a steady stream of recruits.

Yeah, just what the Tories like a lot of people chasing a few paid jobs...

[al_yrpal]

I have spoken to retired folk doing coast watch, gives them a purpose and they love it. Plenty will come forward at no expense on our taxes.

Al

[reohn2]

I have spoken to retired folk doing coast watch, gives them a purpose and they love it. Plenty will come forward at no expense on our taxes.

Al

And what will they do if they spot something,phone the non existent police force,coastguard,etc?

[Paulatic]

I've never heard or read complaints that specials are unprofessional.

One suspects many specials go on to join the regular police force

If that is true then assuming a good proportion of Border Force volunteers want a paid job then they will be good and efficient at their volunteer jobs so they get picked out for paid roles. And it also means there will be a steady stream of recruits.

How will this steady stream of recruits support themselves and possibly families?

[thirdcrank]

... So what is this new proposed volunteer force for?

IMO comparisons with the Special Constabulary seem irrelevant here, in that special constables - in theory at least - are being trained to assist the police in the event of an emergency. ie They are not a supplementary police service. This means - again in theory - that they perform any duty under the close supervision of a police officer. By "close supervision" I don't mean in radio contact but physically quite nearby, so if they are not patrolling in company, the supervisor is at the event if it's something like a soccer match.

Supervising remote entry points alone seems to me to be a recipe for problems if it's being carried out by volunteers who will inevitably have had limited training and experience. Just as it's been suggested that there should be plenty of volunteers to keep foreigners out, I could imagine plenty of volunteers to let them in, either from political belief or as an easily installed aid to people smuggling.

I'm left with the assumption that it's window dressing.

[PDQ Mobile]

I have spoken to retired folk doing coast watch, gives them a purpose and they love it. Plenty will come forward at no expense on our taxes.

Al

And what will they do if they spot something,phone the non existent police force,coastguard,etc?

And how does one differentiate between a small sailing boat going about its happy sailing business and one carrying a horde of unwashed?

It sounds like Dad's Army to me.
But with undertones of something less funny.


Effective and stringent customs already exist at all normal entry points.

Anyone with a valid passport, from many countries, can just enter on the the showing and sometimes scanning of that passport.

[pwa]

What in theory might make sense is for people doing one job at, say, a small airfield, to be trained and paid to do an additional role in relation to border security.

[PDQ Mobile]

What in theory might make sense is for people doing one job at, say, a small airfield, to be trained and paid to do an additional role in relation to border security.

So the unwashed are coming in by air now?

[landsurfer]

What in theory might make sense is for people doing one job at, say, a small airfield, to be trained and paid to do an additional role in relation to border security.

That makes sense.

[pwa]

What in theory might make sense is for people doing one job at, say, a small airfield, to be trained and paid to do an additional role in relation to border security.

So the unwashed are coming in by air now?

It's not just about the "unwashed". It's about drug smuggling, terrorism and other criminal activities. And yes, illegal immigration. It does happen by air sometimes, you know.

[PDQ Mobile]

It's not just about the "unwashed". It's about drug smuggling, terrorism and other criminal activities. And yes, illegal immigration. It does happen by air sometimes, you know.

At a small secret airstrip near to you?

Drug smuggling, terrorism and other criminal activities, hmmm- mostly carried out by UK Passport holders, by and large.IMV.

[pwa]

It's not just about the "unwashed". It's about drug smuggling, terrorism and other criminal activities. And yes, illegal immigration. It does happen by air sometimes, you know.

At a small secret airstrip near to you?

Drug smuggling, terrorism and other criminal activities, hmmm- mostly carried out by UK Passport holders, by and large.IMV.

Border security is not just about foreigners getting up to no good, it is also about UK citizens getting up to no good. Small harbours have long had harbour masters to deal with arrivals. And small airfields provide another entry point for legitimate and illegitimate traffic. Foreign or not.

[PDQ Mobile]

Wednesday looks like a good day to sail across the channel in a small vessel! Good visibility!!!
Unwashed and criminals take note.

The Daily Mail Xmas supplement suggests our border security is lax?

Not my experience.
My experience is that they are fair and thorough.