UK NEWS

MIGRANTS SNEAK IN AS FAULTY SCANNERS ARE SWITCHED OFF

Caught: A migrant hiding under a lorry

Friday May 16,2008

By Tom Whitehead

X-ray scanners meant to spot illegal immigrants hiding in lorries to try to sneak into Britain are plagued by breakdowns and often switched off, it was claimed yesterday.

A £2million machine at Dover was out of action for a week last month, sources said.

And a machine on the French border which is supposed to catch those trying to slip across the Channel has also suffered faults, union chiefs claimed.

One source at Dover said: “It is ridiculous to spend all this money on that sort of hi-tech machine and have it breaking down all the time. These problems just make it far easier for

illegal immigrants to make their way in.”

None are 100 per cent effective and the more technical ones are more likely to break down

John Tincey of the Immigration Service Union

John Tincey of the Immigration Service Union said a scanner operated by British officers in France has had a number of breakdowns.

He added: “None are 100 per cent effective and the more technical ones are more likely to break down.”

Five of the scanners were brought in by the Government in 2001 to combat the thousands of illegal immigrants feared to be sneaking in to the country every year.

The Government estimates there are around 570,000 illegal immigrants in Britain – but other groups put the figure as high as 870,000.

Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green said yesterday: “This is yet another gaping hole in the Government’s immigration strategy and demonstrates more than ever the desperate need to establish a dedicated UK border police force.”

The mobile X-ray machines are run along the length of ferries revealing the contents of vehicles on board – meaning sniffer dogs do not have to be used.

Geoff Dossetter of the Freight Transport Association said: “The technology is there to help protect drivers from the prospect of unwanted stowaways. Drivers need all the help they can get.”

A UK Border Agency spokesman denied the scanner at Dover has suffered from breakdowns. He also denied claims it is switched off at night, insisting it operates around the clock and is only taken out of service “occasionally” for routine maintenance.

He added: “Our approach is based on a combination of highly skilled officers plus additional technology.”

It emerged in March that illegal migrants are flooding into Britain because of “holes in the fence”. A House of Lords committee said stowaways are able to dodge through “inadequate” perimeter protection at Calais. They then hide on lorries to make the sea crossing to Britain.