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| Using airline staff as immigration officers is nothing new | Using airline staff as immigration officers is nothing new |
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| Peter Hillman says he was involved with training check-in staff in other countries on UK visa requirements in the 1990s | Peter Hillman says he was involved with training check-in staff in other countries on UK visa requirements in the 1990s |
| Re your report (Airline staff being trained to bar people without visas from flights to UK, 20 June), it is worth noting that this has been going on for over 30 years, with immigration officers travelling overseas at the invitation of airlines to train their check-in staff in visa requirements and how to detect forged passports. | Re your report (Airline staff being trained to bar people without visas from flights to UK, 20 June), it is worth noting that this has been going on for over 30 years, with immigration officers travelling overseas at the invitation of airlines to train their check-in staff in visa requirements and how to detect forged passports. |
| I was involved with this in the 1990s, being based at Gatwick, and travelled to Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Tanzania, Egypt, and Thailand, among other destinations. The airlines requested the training and provided flights and accommodation; the training was free, at no expense to the public purse. | I was involved with this in the 1990s, being based at Gatwick, and travelled to Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Tanzania, Egypt, and Thailand, among other destinations. The airlines requested the training and provided flights and accommodation; the training was free, at no expense to the public purse. |
| The visit to Cairo was particularly noteworthy as we took a briefcase full of forged passports to show the airline staff. On our departure, the briefcase was opened by “security” at Cairo airport, the contents examined, and then closed with no further interest. We did, of course, also carry official documents setting out why we carried forged passports, but no one ever asked to see them.Peter HillmanFormer chief immigration officer | |
| Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section. | Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section. |
| This article was amended on 25 June 2025 to remove an erroneous reference to the writer having travelled to Iraq. | This article was amended on 25 June 2025 to remove an erroneous reference to the writer having travelled to Iraq. |