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Borders policing body begins work Borders policing body begins work
(about 7 hours later)
The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is launching a new body which will have responsibility for policing the country's borders. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has officially launched a new body responsible for policing UK borders.
The UK Border Agency merges the work of 25,000 immigration, revenue and customs and visa staff. The UK Border Agency (UKBA) merges the work of 25,000 immigration, revenue and customs and visa staff - based in 135 countries around the world.
Critics say its creation is just a re-branding exercise, since the new agency will have no new powers. The Conservatives say the UKBA is just a re-branding exercise with no new powers to detain illegal immigrants or track down those already in the UK.
A Home Office spokesman said: "The new agency will be the eyes and ears of the police at the border." But Ms Smith said the new agency would have tough "police-like" powers.
The UKBA's 25,000 staff previously worked in the Border and Immigration Agency, HM Revenue and Customs and UK Visas, which all merged to form the new agency. The UKBA's staff previously worked in the Border and Immigration Agency, HM Revenue and Customs and UK Visas.
UKBA will work to combat smuggling, immigration crime and border tax fraud. Its officers will work to combat smuggling, immigration crime and border tax fraud.
A Home Office spokesman said: "It is committed to working with the police to improve, strengthen and better co-ordinate the security arrangements at ports and airports." 'Same people'
Workers in UKBA will have a wide range of powers to board and search vehicles, aircraft and trains, and to enter premises, seize goods and detain suspects. The Home Office says the UKBA will be the "eyes and ears" of the police at the border, with a "wide range" of powers.
Staff will be given a new uniform at a later stage. There is a lot less to this than the government is making out Damian GreenShadow immigration minister
However, the Conservatives have criticised the government for failing to include police in the new organisation. These include the right to board and search vehicles, aircraft and trains, and to enter premises, seize goods and detain suspects.
Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "This is simply the same porous arrangements - which have failed to secure our borders - with a new name. But it will have less wide-ranging powers in Scotland, where its officers will not be allowed to detain suspected criminals.
"In contrast, we would establish a dedicated UK border force with proper police powers to secure our borders and pursue crime, from human trafficking to drug smuggling." Shadow immigration minister Damian Green, for the Conservatives, accused the government of "hyping up" the changes.
"There is a lot less to this than the government is making out.
"It is basically the same people doing the same jobs as they were yesterday and the government by making these changes is admitting our border system clearly isn't good enough. It needs a much more radical change, actually to achieve anything very effective."
'Tough powers'
He said the new border force would do nothing to track down illegal migrants already in the UK and the firms who employ them.
"What we want is a much more effective border force but also a force that has the powers to chase people traffickers and employers of illegal labour, that's why we want a much more radical change."
He said the Conservatives would set up a dedicated border police force with the same powers to stop and search and detain suspects as the police.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith insisted the new force would work with immigration officials tracking down illegal immigrants already in the UK - and that it had sufficient powers to strengthen border controls.
"It will have tough customs and immigration and police-like powers and I think that will mean it is better-equipped than ever to guard our ports and airports, protect the country from illegal immigration, organised crime and terrorism," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
The Conservatives have also criticised the government for failing to include police in the new organisation.
Ms Smith said the new agency would work "extremely closely" with the 3,000 police officers stationed at the UK's borders and would have a senior police officer on its board.
The Home Office is understood to have reached an agreement with police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to share intelligence and work more closely together.
But it has yet to reach a similar deal with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, where policing is a devolved matter.