UKBA Dover targets Xmas Shoppers

l've had a number of requests for help over the weekend and all have involved Dover. Out of 3 of the cases 2 vehicles have been seized along with tobacco amounts that are not in anyway excessive. They all answered the questions correctly, did not contradict each other, had never been stopped before and in effect could not in any way be construed as commercial. The 3rd case involved losing the tobacco but kept the vehicle.

ln one of the cases, the seizure was announced before the A-J's were conducted! l can't say much more about them at the moment other than that they were all in my honest opinion nothing more than the policy of disruption. lntegrity and honesty were not in attendance.

Unfortunately none of the victims recorded the interview and all signed the notebook ... even one who could not read or write! We shall do our best though.

A fourth case happened a month or so go and here we have a Review Officer that is of the same calibre of our very own Ian Sked. ln fact he could well take the crown off our Sked ! We shall bring you the results of all these when we get them.

On a positive note we've had one incident at an airport where the UKBA were told they were being recorded and once again they behaved correctly and no goods were seized. l'm trying to convince the person involved to let us have the video. Fingers crossed. lf we don't get it we still have ours to come very shortly.

So people, let's be careful out there. Record everything and do not sign the notebook ... ever!

Stay Safe now!

Oh l forgot ... our Xmas Baccy Cruise is just a week away! There are still some places left!

Dover - Calais HMRC/UKBA Part 2

Well all l can say is if that's the security that's in place for Calais to Dover ... it's a complete waste of bloody money! Myself and 3 D-Day vet passengers arrived at Calais for our return trip (we'd been visiting the Normandy D-Day Beaches etc). Joined the long line for Border Control in the car. French Border booths empty but behind them was the UK Border Control (yes, in France). Reached the UK booths and handed over the passports. Female officer checked the passports on a government computer that must have a bloody time lag built in it's so slow. She then called out the names on the passports and we all answered in turn. Seems fine until you realise she can't see from her booth the 2 passengers in the rear of the Jeep as it's got factory fitted blacked out windows!

We then drive on ferry, park up and get out. No-one checks the passengers, no-one checks the vehicle ... nothing! Arrive at Dover, drive off and join a long queue to exit the port. We pass a set of cameras that l assume are ANPR and then carry on in the queue till we reach Customs Control. This is 2 lanes that go through a large type warehouse affair. HMRC officers are there in the middle of the 2 lanes with a screen in front of them. To the side is open spaces where they can pull you to one side if they so choose. We approach the area and are just waived on ... no check of passengers, no check of vehicle ... nothing! Oh, and l borrowed the Jeep so the owner of it wasn't with us either

That's UK Border Control folks! Feel safe now? :) l mean that's what they tell us they are there for, isn't it? You do believe them, don't you? :)

Dover - Calais HMRC/UKBA

Shall be away for a while due to taking some WW2 Vets back to France and in particular Normandy courtesy of Heroes Return. They were going in comfort in the big Merc S Class but the German car decided yesterday to develop a front wheel bearing fault. lt's noisy and getting noisier so decided to leave it as there is no time to fix it. So enter the Yanks and the Jeep, which we'll be taking instead ... maybe the gods are telling me something :)

We shall be crossing via Dover-Calais ferry route. The lads know this route from many years ago except this time the enemy will be in Dover as well as a contingent in Calais. I can't remember ever using this ferry service. lt has never been of any interest to me, the cigarettes are too expensive and l almost always fly anyway. Used the ferry crossing to Ireland often but that was never shopping trips. l understand that Dover-Calais has gained a reputation for the HMRC staff there to be akin to Nazis. Most reports put them down as a law unto themselves and indeed power crazy. Take a look at some horror stories of experiences there and judge for yourself h/t daytripper.
Hope my boys want some tobacco to bring back!

So l was thinking, isn't it time to take these HMRC power mad officers  to task? Some covert body cameras and such and let the world see how they really behave instead of the crap put out in edited progs such as Border UK.

Actually I've already decided .... yes it is! Time for some Ebay shopping m'thinks :)