Members of the armed forces are filling in for striking Border Force staff at airports, but do not have the power to stop or detain suspicious passengers who might otherwise be stopped at passport control.
Suspicious passengers who might otherwise be stopped at Border Control at airports are being"waved through" by military personnel standing in for striking workers.
Two Border Force staff members told Sky News that passengers were being waved through to avoid queues during strikes and that military personnel do not have the power to stop or detain people.One Border Force officer at Manchester Airport said several members of staff told them that arriving passengers who would normally be questioned are being"waved through in order to avoid queues building up amid strikes".
They added:"This order is said to have come from management at Manchester Airport. This would mean that people who are potentially unlawfully entering the UK/wanted by the authorities or police/on a watch list/previously refused entry are entering the UK unchecked." Around 1,000 Border Force staff in the Public and Commercial Services union are striking over pay and conditions from 23 December to Boxing Day.
A Border Force staff member at Heathrow Airport told Sky News that the army on immigration control"can't stop or detain people" as they cannot issue a form known as an IS81.
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