Fingerprint checks on foreigners at border controls will begin at the end of November, says the UK Border Agency.
In addition to usual checks at UK border controls, from 30 November, 2009 overseas nationals arriving in the country will have their fingerprints scanned.
All passengers with biometric UK visas, entry clearances and identity cards for foreign nationals will undergo the new procedure.
"The purpose of these checks is to verify that the individual entering the United Kingdom is the same person who gave their biometrics when they applied for their visa, entry clearance or identity card for foreign nationals," said the UK Border Agency in a statement. "Using fingerprints enables us to do this with greater certainty."
The change comes on the same day as identity cards for UK nationals are launched. In response to parliamentary written questions, Home Office minister Meg Hillier said 1,107 people had voluntarily applied for identity cards by 24 November. The applicants were from Greater Manchester, London and airside workers at Manchester and London City airports.
She also said that 2,445 people in Greater Manchester have "expressed an interest in continuing to be updated about the National Identity Service via the Early Interest Website". 749 Mancunians have made an appointment to enrol for an identity card out of 1.7 million who are eligible, she added.
The announcements came as the role of the Identity and Passport Service has been clarified in a Home Office document setting out its strategic objectives, responsibilities and lines of accountability. The IPS was created as an agency separate from the department in 2006.
Talkback
Fantastic! If it's like the US Homeland Security service then it'll add about two minutes per individual to the process.
So the queue from an A380 will stretch from Heathrow halfway to Gatwick, and disperse only in time for the next lumbering behemoth to trundle up. And maybe, just maybe, the last passenger's bag will be on the carousel by the time they get through immigration.
Love travelling by air.
"and run all the required background security checks, returning relevant responses within a few seconds."
Thats the key there, along with ensuring the network backbone and backups are in place, and secured.
Further to your article “Fingerprint checks on foreigners at border controls will begin at the end of November, says the UK Border Agency”, this is a positive step in the battle to improve border security. The use of biometrics to verify the identity of an individual entering the country and to ensure the fingerprints match those on the Visa application, will support the drive to combat illegal immigration and address global security concerns.
However, having worked for the past five years with seven countries across the Caribbean on the implementation of biometric systems to improve the quality of border security, it has become very apparent that governments need also to consider the speed of processing of travellers, at the points of entry.
For the UK, which has already seen a drop in tourist numbers due to the global economic crisis, any additional delay entering the country that may deter foreign nationals from travelling could have a further negative economic impact. And there is a strong precedent – when the US first introduced biometrics for border control, tourist numbers fell dramatically and only slowly began to recover.
It is, however, perfectly possible to minimise disruption whilst still imposing stronger security. In the Caribbean, where tourism is of course a substantial component of GDP, it is crucial to address both the essential security requirement and the need to expedite processing. Countries, including Barbados and Grenada have the technological capability to capture an individual’s biometric and passport data and run all the required background security checks, returning relevant responses within a few seconds.
Visitors to the UK are already experiencing longer queues as a result of the decision to read all passport information. It is therefore to be hoped that the introduction of this necessary additional biometric security procedure will not add significant delay or deter either the business or leisure traveller.
Peter Forrest, DPM Systems
Managing Director
www.dpmsys.com