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28 September 2004
A high-tech programme to modernise and strengthen the United Kingdom’s borders, including electronic embarkation controls, will be underway by the end of this year, the Prime Minister announced today.
The £15 million pilot scheme – known as Project Semaphore – is the first stage in the Government’s e-Borders (electronic borders) programme, which will use 21st century technology to strengthen border control, effectively recording people as they travel into and out of the UK, and improve security.
Project Semaphore will initially target six million passengers a year travelling on a number of international air routes to and from the UK. It will use on-line technology and advance passenger information provided by airlines before arrival to screen and record individuals as they enter and leave the UK, providing a comprehensive passenger movement audit trail.
It will be the first phase of the full implementation of e-Borders from 2008 which will rapidly expand to encompass all movements in and out of the country, transforming the UK’s border control, making it more effective, efficient and secure. It will enable tighter controls of those who may pose a security risk and ensure we can have clearer records of those entering and leaving the UK.
The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, said:
"Secure and effective border controls are vital to the UK in the 21st century. That is why our immigration service enforces our border controls 24 hours a day, all year round. Our challenge is to safeguard our citizens against terrorism, serious and organised crime and illegal immigration, while at the same time facilitating entry for legitimate travellers, including 90 million tourists and business visitors every year.
"To do this the Government intends to bring in its ambitious e-borders programme - a modernised border control programme using cutting edge technology, which will work alongside biometric ID cards from 2008 onwards. This will further secure the UK’s borders by efficiently recording people travelling into and out of the UK, using airline reservation information and capturing passengers’ biometric data. This will be a modern, high-tech replacement for the outdated paper embarkation controls which were removed in 1994 and 1998.
"Project Semaphore, which will be underway by the end of the year, is a key first step in putting in place comprehensive electronic analysis of passenger travel data, which will be crucial to being able to register entry and exit without gross inconvenience to passengers."
The Immigration Minister, Des Browne, said:
"e-Borders, along with biometric ID cards, shows how we are using new technology to develop embarkation controls for the 21st century.
"Access to information about passengers before they travel will help in the fight against illegal immigration, particularly document and identity abuse. It will also aid law enforcement and counter terrorism.
"At the same time, technology will allow us to speed through low risk passengers, helping British business and visitors to the UK.
Notes to Editors:
- e-Borders is a cross-cutting initiative co-ordinated by the Home Office in partnership with key border control, law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The e-Borders system will identify people who have boarded transport destined for the UK, check them automatically against databases of individuals who pose a security risk, and keep a simple electronic record of entry into the country. The system will also enable authorities to record people leaving the UK, helping to identify those who overstay.
- Project Semaphore will begin to be implemented by the end of the year. Routes have been chosen on the basis of risk assessments by the border agencies (the Immigration Service, Customs and Excise and the police). Semaphore will test and confirm the technical and business process design for the main e-Borders programme as well deliver immediate operational improvements across participating agencies.
- Project IRIS (Iris Recognition Immigration System), a secure, automated border entry system using iris recognition technology to speed up the admission of pre-assessed bona-fide travellers is due to pilot towards the end of this year and be fully operational by the summer of 2005 (Press Release 208/2004).
