New Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration appointed
The next Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration will be David Bolt, the Home Secretary announced today (10 February).
Mr Bolt, who has held senior positions in the arenas of security and crime-fighting, including at the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), will continue the important work of scrutinising the effectiveness and efficiency of border and immigration operational practices.
After making an announcement to Parliament this morning, Home Secretary Theresa May said:
The role of providing detailed, independent scrutiny of our work and our performance in controlling immigration and protecting Britain’s borders is vital.
David Bolt is an excellent candidate and I am confident that he will carry out his duties with diligence, vigour and objectivity.
Mr Bolt is currently Chief Executive of the International Federation of Spirits Producers (IFSP) Ltd, which works to combat the counterfeiting of its members’ distilled spirits.
Between 2006 and 2010 he was Executive Director of Intelligence at SOCA, with responsibility for knowledge management, tasking and co-ordination and covert collection. He was Deputy Director General of Strategic Intelligence at NCIS between 2001 and 2006, with responsibility for the Corporate Governance Division.
He has been appointed to the Chief Inspector role for a fixed term of two years, following a fair and open recruitment process, and will take up the position as soon as possible, after the security clearance process has been completed.
Mr Bolt’s predecessor, John Vine, occupied the role for almost seven years before stepping down at the end of December 2014.