GOV.UK
24 years in jail for cocaine smugglers
2 Italian men have been jailed for 24 years for an attempted £13 million cocaine importation at Dover.
Border Force
Endangered Iguanas seized by Border Force at Heathrow
Thirteen endangered iguanas have been seized by Border Force officers at Heathrow.
Birmingham man jailed after Border Force cocaine seizure
A man from Birmingham has been jailed for eight years after Border Force officers at Gatwick Airport caught him trying to smuggle cocaine into the...
Forty eight stowaways found hiding in a lorry
Border Force officers based in Coquelles, have prevented 48 stowaways from entering the UK hidden in the back of a refrigerated lorry.
Border Force dog prevents more than 100 drug smuggling attempts
Detector dog for Border Force has stopped an estimated 220kg of cocaine from reaching UK streets.
Latest
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24 years in jail for cocaine smugglers
- published 7 March 2014
- News story
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Border Force bulletins
- updated 3 March 2014
- Collection
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Border Force bulletin: issue 12, February 2014
- published 3 March 2014
- Correspondence
What we do
Border Force is a law enforcement command within the Home Office. We secure the UK border by carrying out immigration and customs controls for people and goods entering the UK.
Border Force was formed on 1 March 2012 as a law enforcement command within the Home Office. Border Force secures the border and promotes national prosperity by facilitating the legitimate movement of individuals and goods, whilst preventing those that would cause harm from entering the UK. This is achieved through the immigration and customs checks carried out by our staff at ports and airports.
Responsibilities
We are responsible for:
- checking the immigration status of people arriving in and departing the UK
- searching baggage, vehicles and cargo for illicit goods or illegal immigrants
- patrolling the UK coastline and searching vessels
- gathering intelligence
- alerting the police and security services to people of interest
Priorities
In 2012 to 2013 our priorities are to:
- deter and prevent individuals and goods that would harm the national interests from entering the UK
- facilitate the legitimate movement of individuals and trade to and from the UK
- protect and collect customs revenues for trade crossing the border
- provide excellent service to customers
- provide demonstrable effectiveness, efficiency and value for money
Who we are
Border Force officers work at 140 sea and air ports across the UK and overseas. We are led by Director General Sir Charles Montgomery, who is supported by Mandie Campbell, Chief Operating Officer, Gary Downes, Director of Border Systems, and Julie Taylor, Director of Strategy and Change.
Our policies
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Securing borders and reducing immigration
Immigration enriches our culture and strengthens our economy and we want to attract people to study, work and invest in the UK.
Documents
Our announcements
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24 years in jail for cocaine smugglers
- 7 March 2014
- News story
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Specialist teams to fight modern slavery at UK Ports
- 21 February 2014
- News story
Our publications
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Border Force bulletin: issue 12, February 2014
- 3 March 2014
- Correspondence
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Response to Stansted Airport report
- 23 January 2014
- Policy paper
Our statistics
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Cost of each passenger processed at the border
- 4 June 2013
- Statistics
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Drug seizures by Border Force in the UK, 2011 to 2013
- 23 May 2013
- Statistics
Our management
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Sir Charles Montgomery
Director General, Border Force
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Julie Taylor
Director of Strategy and Change
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Philip Duffy
Chief Operating Officer
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Gary Downes
Director of Border Systems
Contact BF
Border Force Complaints and Correspondence Team
Lunar House
11th floor Long Corridor
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2BY
Make an FOI request
- Read about the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and how to make a request
- Check our previous releases to see if we’ve already answered your question
Corporate information
Jobs and contracts