Anna Turley said the government would examine claims uncovered in a Sky News investigation that smugglers were offering to bring people through the UK Border Force Channel Tunnel route into Britain in the front seat of luxury cars using fake passports.
The Border Security and Asylum Minister said ministers would look closely at the concerns the investigation exposed, after one Albanian trafficker said he could get someone to London in the passenger seat of a £100,000 Range Rover for £24,000.
Anna Turley and Border Force
Turley said criminal gangs were continually looking for weaknesses in Britain's borders and described the effort to stop illegal entry as “a bit of a whack-a-mole”. She also said: “We have to make sure that there are no vulnerabilities” in passport checks, vehicle inspections and technology at the Channel Tunnel.
A former Border Force officer said staff could be left overwhelmed and short of resources, with pressure building as officers dealt with huge numbers of passengers and extra checks. The former officer said: “The pressures that staff are under are immense. At times it can be overwhelming.”
Folkestone and Calais route
The route between Folkestone and Calais has become a target because officials deal with people who claim to have entered Britain through the tunnel using false documents. Some have alleged they presented passports to Border Force officers before being waved through, while others are said to use stolen genuine passports belonging to someone they resemble.
The former officer said some people try to bypass safeguards with sophisticated forged documents, and said attempts to enter using false documents increased after a fast-track returns agreement between Britain and Albania made small-boat crossings less attractive. A Home Office source said it was no surprise gangs were targeting the tunnel route, even though it has drawn far less attention than small boat crossings.
Channel Tunnel checks
Border documents are scanned and passengers can be subjected to additional checks, but the investigation suggests criminals are still treating the Channel Tunnel as a workable route for vehicle-based smuggling. The question left by the investigation is how many people have already been moved through this system using false papers, and whether the current checks are enough to catch the next attempt.
Turley said ministers would look closely at the concerns exposed by the investigation, leaving Border Force staff to work under the same pressure while the government reviews where the weaknesses lie.
