Startling revelations from the Home Office have uncovered that more than 1,000 passengers have entered the UK in the past three years without undergoing essential passport control procedures due to airport blunders. In these instances, passengers were inadvertently directed the wrong way within terminal buildings, leading them to bypass immigration and passport controls.
The root cause of these alarming blunders is believed to be human error. In some cases, doors that should have been closed after passengers disembarked the plane were left open, inadvertently steering passengers away from necessary immigration checks.
The data reveals that 2022 witnessed the highest number of passengers inadvertently skipping passport control, with a total of 574 passengers entering the country this way. This marked a significant increase from 142 in 2021 and 420 in 2020. While some of these misdirected passengers were promptly identified and returned to passport control within the airport, others managed to exit the airport premises without undergoing proper checks.
Airport authorities have downplayed the significance of these incidents, insisting that they do not constitute a “major issue”. However, the situation has been described as “disquieting” by a prominent thinktank. Alp Mehmet, chairman of the low-immigration-advocating thinktank MigrationWatch, emphasized that while the numbers may not be notably high, they are still disconcerting. He stressed that border security is not solely the responsibility of the Border Force; those overseeing airport and ferry port estates must also play their part to prevent complacency regarding these serious lapses.
While the absolute numbers of affected passengers may seem relatively small, the revelations are nevertheless concerning. Airports and transportation hubs play a crucial role in maintaining the security and integrity of a nation’s borders. As such, it is imperative that necessary precautions are taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Resources:
1.https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1822013/passport-control-airports
2.https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58820402