Call for evidence: An inspection of the Border Force operation to deter and detect clandestine entrants to the UK
The ICIBI invites anyone with knowledge and experience of clandestine entry to the UK by vehicle or freight to submit evidence for the inspection.
Lorry scanner
The ICIBI has begun an inspection of the Border Force operation to deter and detect clandestine entrants to the UK.
This inspection will focus on the efficiency and effectiveness of the Border Force efforts to deter and detect clandestine entry to the UK by means of concealment in vehicles and freight, particularly at the juxtaposed controls in northern France (Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk). It will include the administration and effectiveness of the Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme and the Civil Penalty Accreditation Scheme for lorry drivers and hauliers.
This call for evidence will remain open until 6 September 2024.
As Independent Chief Inspector, I am inviting anyone with knowledge or first-hand experience of clandestine entry to the UK by vehicle or freight, and of the measures employed to deter and detect clandestine entrants, including of the Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme and Civil Penalty Accreditation Scheme, to submit evidence to inform this inspection.
Evidence from those with knowledge and first-hand experience adds value to every inspection, but particularly so here as clandestine entry is by its nature a hidden activity and what is known about it officially can only ever provide a partial picture. I am therefore especially keen to receive as many individual accounts and insights as possible to understand what is working well and where improvements are needed.
The information you submit may be quoted in the final inspection report, but it is the ICIBI’s practice not to name sources and to anonymise as much as possible any examples or case studies.
Please click here to email your submission to the Independent Chief Inspector.
Please note: The ICIBI’s statutory remit does not extend to investigating or making decisions about individual cases. This remains a Home Office responsibility. However, the Independent Chief Inspector can take an interest in individual cases to the extent that they illustrate or point to systemic problems.
Data Protection
Information on how ICIBI will process any personal data provided in response to this call for evidence can be found in the ICIBI privacy information notice.
David Bolt, Interim Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration
22 August 2024