By Travelmail Reporter
|
There were fresh concerns over safety at Heathrow airport after it was revealed that staff had stopped screening passengers for drugs and guns because they were so under-staffed.
A senior customs official anonymously told The Observer newspaper that Heathrow now has ‘no border control’ as a result of staff shortages at Britain’s busiest airport.
The official said: 'We have actually ceased doing (anti-smuggling operations) at the moment, even though they won't say they have. Word has already got around to criminal enterprises.'
Relaxed security: A senior customs official revealed that Heathrow airport had ceased anti-smuggling operations as a result of staff shortages
The source described an incident last week involving two Pakistani students accredited to work on the Olympic site.
He felt they posed a risk - but they were cleared without being searched.
He blamed the downgrade in security on cutbacks and political pressure to reduce waiting times for passengers arriving at the airport.
A Home Office spokesman insisted the government was 'committed to maintaining border security,' adding that 'our staff... continue to target drugs and illegal weapons'.
Recent reports suggest that visitors have been queuing for up to three hours to get their passports checked at Border Control.
A spokesman for the Home Office insisted the government was 'committed to maintaining border security' and said: ‘We are fully prepared to manage busy periods during the Olympics and will be implementing our well-rehearsed plans.
‘On top of permanent improvements, we will increase staffing at ports and airports as passenger numbers increase in the run up to the Games.’
But shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper accused her Conservative counterpart Theresa May of ignoring the problem.
Long delays: Recent reports suggest that visitors have been queuing for up to three hours to get their passports checked at Heathrow airport
She said: 'This border chaos isn't just another government shambles, it is now becoming a security risk.
'Theresa May needs to investigate these breaches urgently, and make sure security is being maintained.
'She needs to make sure that appropriate customs checks are still taking place and that panic action to staff the passport desks is not leaving customs completely empty.'
The Government recently revealed that it is drafting emergency plans to relax border checks for ‘trusted’ passengers to ease the crisis at Britain’s airports.
Sources said the ‘risk-based approach’ would include relaxation of passport checks for British and European travellers, as well as faster queues for passengers who did not require visas and so-called ‘trusted travellers’, including foreign businessmen who visit regularly and frequent fliers.
Another initiative under consideration would see passengers who require visas to enter Britain being separated from the rest.
This would benefit nationals from a number of countries, including the United States, Canada and Japan.
The vast majority of non-EU nationals would continue to face full vetting.
In the firing line: Immigration Minister Damian Green on a recent visit to Heathrow's Terminal 3
A spokesman for the Home Office said: 'We want to introduce ‘risk-based’ checks but it's important that it's done step-by-step and with the full authorisation of ministers.
'Any repeat of last year's fiasco would be a nightmare.'
The move would represent a partial U-turn after Home Secretary Theresa May last year ordered full-scale checks for every arrival.
In a major immigration scandal - and unknown to ministers - guards were told not to bother checking biometric chips on passports of non-EU citizens or their fingerprints or other personal details against the Home Office's so-called Warnings Index of terror suspects and illegal immigrants.
Brodie Clark, the £135,000-a-year Border Force head, lost his job amid fears that hundreds of thousands of travellers waltzed into Britain without crucial vetting.
Sacked: Brodie Clark lost his £135,000-a-year job as Border Force head last year
Meanwhile, managers at Stansted Airport in Essex were the latest to blast the 'unacceptable' delays affecting passengers.
Hundreds of disgruntled passengers were delayed for up to two hours at passport control at the Essex airport yesterday evening.
One passenger told the BBC she waited for two hours at passport control, another said after a flight from Cork she waited so long they were put into another area.
A spokesman for Stansted airport said action was needed to address the issue of long waits urgently.
He said: ‘The majority of passengers arriving at Stansted pass through border controls quickly and securely. However, at peak times, and similar to many other UK airports, immigration queues can be unacceptably long.
‘We recognise that maintaining strong border security is a priority but we also want to see sufficient resources available to meet passenger demand and keep delays to a minimum at the busiest times.’
-
Au revoir, Carla! The Rottweiler wants to be France's new... -
Thousands of pills filled with powdered human baby flesh... -
A dark corner of America: Photographs show Philadelphia's... -
Woman, 22, given two life sentences for allowing professor,... -
'Sorry about all the smoke, I just came from the tanning... -
Germany warns France there is no easy way out after it... -
Watch what you type! Surveillance cameras so strong they can... -
Losses at Oprah's OWN approach a staggering $330m as... -
No need to adjust your screens! The house that was... -
Even beautiful people make mistakes: Website connects... -
'Sorry': Red-faced Fergie apologises to diners after... -
The world's coolest hot tub? The two-tiered jacuzzi which...
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar