I Can't Give You My Name Because I'm At Risk! #UKBA

It would seem that when UKBA/Border Force Officers refuse to give you their name that they do this because they. deem themselves 'at risk'.  That must be why they wear all that Robocop equipment then.


"14 March 2012
Re: FOI 21752
Dear Mr *******,
Thank you for your email of 17 February regarding the UK Border Agency and how officers can be identified. This falls to be dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Operational UK Border Agency officers working at ports of entry are required to wear a uniform which identifies them as UK Border Agency officers. As part of the uniform officers wear epaulettes marked with their unique warrant number. In addition some officers also wear a high visibility jacket marked with UKBA, where required to do so by the port operator.
All officers are issued with Identity security passes by the port operator in connection with their employment at ports of entry and operational officers are issued with a warrant which can be produced as a form of identification.
Whilst there is no formal policy, accepted practice is that officers should provide their name when asked unless there is reason to believe that doing so would put them at risk. If this is the case, officers should provide their unique warrant number which will identify them.
In view of the above operational UK Border Agency officers can be readily identified as such by members of the public.
If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent internal review of our handling of your request. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the UK Border Agency sending a substantive reply to your original request and should be addressed to:
Information Access Team
Home Office
Ground Floor,"


The Home Office has this quaint belief that a Hi-Viz jacket with UKBA/Border Force printed on it is enough to identify said officers. Well, l don't know about you but when someone doesn't give me ID, all that remains is someone in a fancy dress outfit and l categorically refuse to let this person question me about anything.

Home Office also state that the UKBA/Border Force Officers have a unique ID number. Well that may be so but when l was stopped at Hull, one of these officers had someone elses outer uniform on ... and it wasn't her ID number! Also the Robocop outfits have nowhere to put these unique ID numbers on.

l shall be demanding ID .... Theresa May got ID overload from a  nicely dressed jolly fat bloke :-

What us mere cross-border shoppers usually get is this! :-

ID or not ID ...That is the Question.

A friend of mine has just returned to UK via Hull P&O Ferries. He's not a smoker but his vehicle was carrying excise goods .... alcohol (note to self ... must pay him a visit). He was pulled over by the Border Force but as he was carrying no tobacco there was no interest from Border Force and he was soon on his way.

However, when my friend was initially stopped he asked the Border Force officer to show his ID. At first the officer just gave my friend his number. My friend was not satisfied with this and asked for his photo id and somewhat reluctantly this was eventually produced by the officer.

Now here's the thing ... it was a UKBA photo ID, not Border Force. Theresa May and the Home Office stated categorically that the Border Force came into being on 1st March 2012 and are entirely separate from UKBA. Only the Border Force are responsible for the ports/airports.

So why are Border Force officers displaying UKBA ID? Is this therefore displaying false ID?

Another thing about Border Force/UKBA is that they rarely produce their ID unless repeatedly challenged ... and sometimes not even then. Even if they consent to giving their ID they just seem to think that giving their number is enough. Going along with this, l'm contemplating making my own number ... perhaps my passport number or driving licence or such. Once l've past through Immigration Control and if l'm then stopped by these officers and asked for ID l'll then give them a number! Should be interesting :)

lncidentally there is still no contact details whatsoever for the Border Force. l've rang the press offices of the Home Office and UKBA and they don't know. l've e-mailed Home Office and UKBA along with other government departments and got ............no response!

Perhaps Border Force are taking the secrecy they had whilst being UKBA to a whole new level! :)