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Trusted Borders, a consortium of companies led by Raytheon Systems Limited of the UK, has signed a contract with the Home Office to develop and implement the nation’s ‘e-Borders’ project, an advanced border control and security programme.
The e-Borders Programme is a multi-agency, technology-enabled business change programme which will create a joined-up, modernised border control and security framework for the United Kingdom. e-Borders will collect and analyse passenger and crew data, provided by carriers (air, sea and rail), in respect of all journeys to and from the UK in advance of their travel. This will support an intelligence-led approach to operating border controls, by identifying those involved in abuse of UK immigration laws, serious and organised crime and terrorism.
Border control agencies include Immigration service, Police service, Serious and Organised Crime Agency, Customs and UKvisas. The e-Borders programme will cover all carriers operating to and from the UK. It builds upon the successes of Project Semaphore, the de-risking |
pilot for the e-Borders programme which currently captures passenger information from a limited number of carriers on routes that have been identified as high risk.
By harnessing passenger information, performing risk assessments on passengers planning to enter or leave the UK and utilising new developments in technology which allow the swift and secure transfer of data, e-Borders will, in effect, export the border and provide more effective levels of border control and deliver faster processing and greater flexibility in control operations.
Members of the Trusted Borders consortium have already begun work on the e-Borders programme, building upon the country’s current pilot programme for border control and expanding it into a fully flexible, scalable and robust e-Borders capability within two years. Ninety-five percent of the work will be carried out in the UK.
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