Passengers arriving at Stansted Airport will now be met by uniformed border control officials in dark blue suits and light blue shirts, as part of the Border and Immigration Agency’s (BIA) drive towards a stronger presence at the UK’s border.
The new staff uniform will join other steps including overhead signs making it clear to arriving passengers that they are entering UK territory, as well as new technology which allows immigration staff to scan biometric data in new e-passports.
Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said: “We are increasing the number of staff at our borders, new powers are on their way and new fingerprinting technology is stopping would-be cheats before they even get on a plane.
“Strong borders are a vital national line of defence against terrorism and crime. That’s why we are creating a single highly visible presence at the border through the rollout of uniforms and signage, increasing immigration policing and; through the action we’re taking overseas, stopping immigration offenders from travelling in the first place.”
The measures put in place at Stansted are being replicated across the UK as the government aims to place highly visible uniformed staff at the border, while earlier this month a trial was launched at Gatwick Airport which will record the fingerprints of passengers arriving from Sierra Leone with biometric visas.
