This shopper had taken all our advice and used it. He started recording before he got to passport control and left it running. The female officer that stopped him is either incompetent or a liar (perhaps both). What she definitely is, without doubt, is power crazy, aggressive, rude and downright nasty.
A senior officer that was called over had the intelligence to take control. l have no doubt he 'had words' with this female officer once our shopper had gone ... not for her attitude of course but for not realising she was getting herself and Border Force (BF) into deep poo-poo.
This recording is a masterclass in how to use your rights ... and the importance of recording, SOT's, docs and FOI's.
The unsuspecting cross border shopper would have had their cigarettesrobbed seized by this obnoxious BF Ofiicer.
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UPDATEA senior officer that was called over had the intelligence to take control. l have no doubt he 'had words' with this female officer once our shopper had gone ... not for her attitude of course but for not realising she was getting herself and Border Force (BF) into deep poo-poo.
This recording is a masterclass in how to use your rights ... and the importance of recording, SOT's, docs and FOI's.
The unsuspecting cross border shopper would have had their cigarettes
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Thanks to a friend of ours we can add this ... at 7min 23.65 secs to 7min 24.07 secs the senior officer can be heard saying 'You do' when our shopper says the harpy said he didn't have the right to record. We missed it as most people will because the harpy won't stfu! Thanks to modern technology we've highlighted it and amplified the senior officer's 'You do' ... approx 4 secs in
Delta 84 You've been pwned you bitch!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThey became Border Force Mar 2012 when they split from UKBA. UKBA are being split into 2 and rebadged. However they still have to follow HMRC's procedures re CEMA and Excise Interviews DESPITE what this silly mare thinks!
DeleteThere is a complaints procedure but it's run by themselves ... we deem any reply to have come from their 'coffee machine'. Complaints Dept is like the rest of UKBA/BF ... NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE!
That was a real eye opener. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteDear Smoking Hot
ReplyDeleteIt makes me ashamed of my so-called public servants to hear such abuse from this particular example. They are our servants and must be kept aware of that fact at all times.
I suggest that if any Border Force threatens arrest, that s/he be cautioned and advised that s/he will be reported for prosecution for threatening behaviour. Under the British Constitution a uniform does not allow unlawful activity.
Your colleagues could benefit from learning the difference between 'legal' and 'lawful' - Captain Ranty (http://captainranty.com/) has done some sterling work on this.
Our beloved EU is creating a European Border Force to take full control of our borders. UKBA was changed to suit, dropping 'UK' and changing 'agency' to 'force' (note the unsubtle shift in emphasis). 'European' will be tacked on in the not-too-distant future. Under EU law they will be fully paid-up little Hitlers and they won't be our servants.
DP
this goonie is out of control but l dont think theyll do owt about it. its types like her that guarded concentration camps and luved it!
ReplyDeleteHas anyone thought of sending this to the press?
ReplyDeleteSomeone might be interested in giving the Government a kicking given the recent faff on with Press Regulations etc.
Might be worth a punt :)
Press aren't interested in smokers
DeleteDid anyone notice how she dropped the aggression when the 'senior officer' appeared?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone believe that she changed her approach when she dealt with the next person she 'interviewed'? I doubt it, since the whole point of her attitude was to seen as THE AUTHORITY. "YOU MUST DO AS I SAY!"
But Customs stuff is not criminal - it is civil therefore the woman had no authority to say, "DO AS I SAY OR ELSE!"
It is when you hear people like her that you understand how it was that concentration camp guards could herd people into gas chambers.
I noticed that too, Junican.
DeleteShe changed to whining, like the school bully who claims, "But he started it!"
She even started calling him "Sir", but failed to make it sound respectful.
How can any human be so stupid, when they know it's being recorded?
Our man was magnificent! Calm, fearless and unmovable.
A perfect demonstration for those who might be intimidated by power-mad liars in uniform. There are a lot of them at the border, (though they keep changing their name!)
Zaphod.
What is really shocking is, if our fellow traveller had told you the story of this without the recording, most people would think he was making it up! That particular officer is a disgrace to the uniform. I sat here open mouthed listening to that in complete disbelief. Ho hum, every day you learn something new.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the port btw?
That's the prob ... without recording no-one would ever believe it. We'll get more and more of these as more people take N2Ds excellent advice. Maybe one day the MSM and the rest will take notice ... I won't hold my breath
DeleteStasi at it again - this 'officer' should surely be disciplined.
ReplyDeleteWe know the guy who was stopped. I'm sure he'll pursue this, he's very persistent! Not the sort to be intimidated, as is obvious on the recording. :-)
ReplyDeleteSh and I just returned from a trip.
A very curious thing happened at the airport on our return...
Watch this space.
I am a Border Force Officer and yes the Officer did behave unprofessionally and should have handled this situation 1000 times better. That said, under the EC Treaty article 30 the UK is allowed to maintain a control for intra-eu traffic for drugs and weapons and excessive tobacco and alcohol. This means we are allowed to ask EU travelers about the goods they are carrying. The passenger sounds like he could provide a reasonable justification of personal use. He was however be obstructive to the officer in the performing her duties(however poorly) and she can arrest for this under Sec 31 of the commissioner of revenue and customs act 2005. It also seems as if the passenger set out to be obstructive as he was clearly prepared to record any stop and had started the recording before the actual stop.
ReplyDeleteThe adjective "excessive" is not appropriate. There are no limits for personal use. "Excessive" suggests that the "guidelines" are limits. They are not. They just provide justification for further questioning. I do wish that Officers would remember this.
DeleteYou will have read some of the info and advice on this site, so it won't surprise you that I disagree emphatically with your opinion on recording. Recording from BEFORE any stop is absolutely vital, and will never inconvenience any Officer who is performing their duty properly. This particular encounter is a text-book example of why it is so necessary.
The consequences of not preparing ourselves to be challenged by your colleagues, are devastating. You should know that.
It is not part of a Customs Officer's "duty" to lie to travelers about their right to record. Unfortunately, it happens a lot, and many cross-border shoppers have been bullied into turning off their recorders. This leaves only the Officer's notebook for Court evidence, and any Officer who unlawfully prevents somebody recording cannot be trusted.
I'm sorry to say that we have found far too many of your colleagues abusing their power, and I expect that you have seen it happen, too. One is too many. And there are more than one. In my personal experience, one in four are unfit to be trusted with such power. I'd be interested to hear your own estimate.
Incidentally, you can only question EU travelers about their goods if you have a reason, (before the questioning). The old days of random stops were outlawed in 2002. You cannot question someone in the hope of finding such a reason to retroactively justify the stop.
Thanks for commenting, anyway. We are human, as you are. The difference is, we pose no threat to you. Only to dishonest or incompetent Officers who expose themselves on a recording. This keeps up the standards, and should thus enhance and restore the reputation of the other Officers. The old Customs used to command respect, before standards were cynically lowered to discourage and disrupt lawful exercise of our EU rights.
@ Border Force Officer ... Zaphod has covered most points. Regarding arrests under Sect 31, yes you are correct. However, Border Force would be then in the realms of PACE ... an area that gives people statutory rights. We like PACE.
DeleteZaphod himself has been arrested regarding Sect 31 but released very quickly. One time a Senior Border Force Officer arrested Zaphod but got himself a bit mixed up ... he quoted Sect 13 instead of 16 of CEMA. 13, as you no doubt know, is 'impersonating a Custom's Officer'. Both myself and Zaphod knew at the time he was wrong but we said nothing ... it was being recorded. Again he was released very quickly.
The advice given of recording of Customs is based on "trends on a rational basis confirmed by experience". << You may recognise that part of the sentence? What is good for the goose, eh?
Thanks for posting. Wish more of you would.