04.09.13
Tough passenger checks affecting Border Force performance
The UK Border Force must address staff shortages and improve performance to provide value for money, the National Audit Office has stated.
The NAO report analysed the Border Force’s separation from UKBA and found that almost 100% of passengers at the border now receive full passenger checks and there are reduced queuing times.
But staff shortages and the requirement to prioritise full passenger checks is affecting performance. Additionally, the workforce lacks organisational identity and has not established if it has the resources it needs to deliver its objectives, the NAO warned.
Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said: “The Department has placed greater demands on the Border Force, which has successfully implemented full passenger checks and reduced queuing times. It has achieved this progress by focusing on a subset of its full range of responsibilities.
“The Border Force now needs to show it can apply the lessons learned from its successes to date across its full range of activities to ensure the security of the border. The Department needs to fund it to do so.”
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