BORDER SECURITY
BREXIT: TAKING BACK CONTROL OF OUR BORDERS?
BREXIT By Tony Smith CBE, Chairman, International Border and Technologies Association.
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ne of the standard political catchphrases in the ongoing saga of the UK’s exit from the European Union is ‘taking back control of our borders’. This is alongside ‘taking back control’ of a few other things, such as our money, laws, fishing and farming. So, what do we mean by border control – and how will this really change after Brexit (assuming Brexit ever happens, that is)? In fact, the UK already has a pretty comprehensive border control in place. Every passenger arriving in the UK goes through passport control where identity is verified and watch lists are checked. A great many of them are in fact checked before arrival, through the submission of Advanced Passenger Information (API) by the transportation company bringing them. Electronic exit checks are also in place. The only exception to this is at the UK/Irish border, where the Common Travel Area allows free movement of persons between the UK and Ireland. And the Channel Islands, for that matter.
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COUNTER TERROR BUSINESS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 37
Unlike most of the other EU Member States, neither the UK nor Ireland is part of the ‘Schengen Acquis’ which allows the free movement of people within the Schengen zone. In fact, both the UK and Ireland have a specific ‘opt out’ of Schengen – something no longer available to other EU Member States. This means that all EU and EEA passports holders will still go through passport control upon entry to the UK or Ireland; and may be refused entry in certain circumstances relating to public health, public security or public policy. Equally, ‘third country’ nationals require a permission to enter the UK when arriving from another EU Member State; and this includes a visa if they are citizens of a country on the UK visa list. So, what is the additional element of ‘control’ that Brexit will bring to the UK Border? The CTA will be preserved, so, contrary to some opinion, there will be no need for passport controls between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, E
