We need to secure our Borders.

This week, David Cameron announced proposals for a dedicated border police force to ensure that we know who is entering and leaving the country.  This policy seems to be well thought out and long overdue and one that we should all now embrace and welcome.[break]

If we are serious about security then we must robustly and properly police our borders.  As an island there is no excuse and surely it must be easier for the UK than it is for most other countries.  But currently this government does not know who is entering or leaving the country and does not seem to care which is completely unacceptable. 

There is currently no single UK-wide force charged with securing our borders, preventing and detecting illegal immigration, and tackling people trafficking.  Instead, we have at least six separate agencies, including HM Revenue and Customs, the Immigration Service, the security services, ports police, the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Metropolitan Police and we wonder why we have the problems we have today.

All of these agencies are staffed by dedicated officers, but they report to different Cabinet ministers (not so dedicated) who don’t communicate effectively with each other and lack overall coordination.  You only have to look at the fiasco’s that have engulfed the Home Office over the past couple of years to see the proof of that.

The money to fund the Border Police would come from scrapping the grossly over priced and pointless scheme of ID Cards currently being forced through by Labour.  The money saved will be used to pay for the creation of a fully integrated Border Police Force which will have one clear focus to ensure we know who are entering and leaving our country.

The proposal has widespread support, including from Sir Chris Fox, the former head of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and from the cross-party Home Affairs Select Committee which surely illustrates the current Law Enforcements Agencies frustration at the lack of co-ordination when it comes to Border Control.

David Cameron is setting up a working group to look at the detailed planning necessary for the new Border Police, chaired by Lord Stevens.  Sir Keith Povey, formerly Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary for England and Wales and a former Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police, will also be on the group.

Only when we have secured our borders will be able to tackle the very serious issues of internal security, terrorism and illegal immigration.

This proposal is long overdue and welcome.