New border control force - new uniform
24th July 2006
A uniformed border-control force is to be introduced at ports and airports for the first time in the UK, Home Secretary John Reid has said.
The budget for immigration enforcement will also double to £280m by the end of the decade.
Shadow home secretary David Davis said he had been calling for a border control force for some years, but was worried the plans were "window dressing".
He said: "This is not just about uniform, it's about powers and whether we use all the people: the immigration officers, the customs officers, and the special branch who currently work in the ports as a part of that force; or whether it is just about uniforms.
If it's just about uniforms, that's just window dressing."
Ministers believe that putting passport control officers - who currently work in plain clothes - into uniform will act as a deterrent on would-be illegal immigrants.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg added: "We have long called for an integrated border police, so John Reid's announcement is most welcome."
