Police and United Kingdom Border Agency engagement to strengthen the UK Border

The UK Border Agency and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) are committed to improving, strengthening and better coordinating border security arrangements at ports and airports. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), published in April 2008, provides a framework for collaboration between the new agency and ACPO at the border. It establishes a clear set of principles to strengthen the United Kingdom's border through closer working.

New powers have been introduced in the UK Borders Act 2007 for immigration officers to support the police to tackle criminality at the border by providing for specifically designated immigration officers at ports in England, Wales or Northern Ireland to detain individuals, who they think may be liable to arrest by a constable or who are subject to a warrant for arrest. The designated immigration officer who detains an individual must arrange for a constable to attend as soon as is reasonably practicable and the maximum period for which an individual may be detained is three hours. More information is below.

The UK Border Agency, Border Force, Border Security and Risk team now has responsibility for the Detention at Port (DaP) project and is in the process of planning how this can best be delivered. Our designation principles and process and the standard operating procedures were published in February 2009.

Last Updated: 12 May 2010