It has been revealed that all Dover's 24 immigration officer posts will be slashed – despite the team being responsible for almost 40 per cent of all removals in Kent last year. In a bitter second blow, proposals are also being made to shut down the 60-bed detention centre based at the port. The facility is used to detain offenders before deportation and to hold immigrants awaiting interview.
Furious UKBA officers have launched a campaign against the cuts, which will save the agency more than £1 million a year. Under the proposal, two chief immigration officers will also be chopped, taking the number to five, and assistant officers will decrease from 23 to 21. Further cuts in Folkestone take the job losses to 30.
Sue Kendal, branch secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, slammed the decision: "Dover is losing its entire immigration officer team and we are in danger of reverting to the bad old days of mass influxes. We risk leaving the door open for a free-for-all, including people who want to harm the UK.
"The Government talks tough but in reality it is cutting front-line officers." Mrs Kendal said relying on assistant officers was a mistake: "Immigration officers do what we call 'challenging interviews', meaning they can challenge the answers given. "This is a crucial stage but soon it will have gone.
"Assistant immigration officers have far less powers and can't do this, but of course they're much cheaper to employ. They also won't be operating for 24-hours-a-day anymore. "Kent is the UK's frontline for immigration but some posts are being moved to Croydon, which is hardly a hotbed of illegal entry activity."
A spokesman for UKBA said: "We are currently consulting with both unions and staff over the planned restructure of our Kent immigration team. "As a result of the restructure, it is anticipated there will be fewer full-time equivalent positions in Kent, with some of these positions transferring to Sussex.
"It is not proposed the restructure will result in compulsory job losses." All remaining staff will have to reapply for their jobs. UKBA workers are planning to distribute leaflets, circulate a petition around Dover and Folkestone town centres, and hold a demonstration.
I wonder how Phil Woolas can defend this?
45 comments:
I can't believe this. It sounds like cuts to front line staff, but Labour only do "efficiencies". Surely there must be some mistake?
Woolas cannot defend it so we wont see him anywhere> they will skulk and hide and lie.
Woolas cannot defend it so we wont see him anywhere> they will skulk and hide and lie.
This story underlines the difficulties that lie ahead in making severe cuts to public spending. The Border Agency will have deliberately targeted the most provocative and controversial possible cut in order to attract opprobrium to the whole idea of cutting their budget. We've seen all this before many times - when asked to make a cut, in true Sir Humph style, the civil servants will always first cut the most popular service possible.
I seriously doubt that Woolas even knew about it. Another aspect of our civil service - inform Ministers last, not first.
Let's hope Cameron's team are ready for all this, but based on past government's performances (it usually takes each one about three years to suss out all the civil service moves), I feel some scepticism.
Oh, don't worry he will !!
He will say that this is a investment in frontline services,
which will lead go tightning of border defences.
It is only the Tories who wil cut ...,..,etc.
Move on , nothing to see here ...
It's those Tory cuts , I tell ya .
Vote for me !!
From
www.rayfrombrixton.blogspot.com
Phil Woolas would defend anything if it meant he kept getting the red boxes.
"I wonder how Phil Woolas can defend this?"
He brings his fags and booze in via Dover.............
Just had a thought, in the modern "Target Culture", are the UKBA's targets based on the numbers they let into the country or the numbers they turn away?
In case anyone is unaware Dover is a must win for the Conservatives. Charlie Elphicke is trying to turn over a 5000 odd majority for Labour incumbent Gwyn Prosser. I've been down to help and they are a friendly team. If you live in Kent this is a seat where you can make a real difference!
All Woolas has to do is avoid answering the question until Thursday. After that it's not his problem.
Phil is just making sure the. #LibDems first illegal immigration amnesty has a high take up....
Lets look at the evidence
decision to allow mass immigration for political purposes
refusal to accept normal peoples beliefs that its gone too far
labour spin but no action
NormalBloke says throw them out - vote anyway you wish but make sure we dont get a labour government.
Shows Labour's REAL stance on immigration. As usual you cannot believe a word they say.
"This story underlines the difficulties that lie ahead in making severe cuts to public spending. The Border Agency will have deliberately targeted the most provocative and controversial possible cut in order to attract opprobrium to the whole idea of cutting their budget. "
Then those decisions should be taken out of their hands.
They should be instructed to ONLY cut back-room services - first in the firing line all the useless 'green'/diversity/stats gathering roles...
Iain I do hope that you can get the MSM interested in this story post haste....Kent and Rochdale must be forever emblazoned in the rabid socialist mind of this clydebank failure........
Unbelievable. Woolas is incredibly slimy and probably has a ready-made reason for supporting this though, whatever that may be.
Perhaps had they been in the Unite union, this would never have happened?
As Brown so ably proved on Wednesday, he says one thing in public and the opposite in private.
Why is anyone surprised?
The BBC, Guardian and the usual Labour apologists in this threads will skulk away not touching this much. The economy and immigration are closely linked. If anyrhing I would have liked DC to have said no immigration for a few years. Clegg's false claim that 80% of immigrants are from the EU , where as it is really like 30%, left unchalleged. Many towns and cities have had enough of immigrants and DC must be more bold now.
naturally this is part of brown's scorched earth policy - create maximum havoc and upset for the inbound administration as it retreats and denies its way towards humiliating surrender and utter electoral annihilation.
labour is toast.
As a libertarian, I think people should be able to travel to and live wherever they like.
Of all Labour's crimes, to focus on this is absolutely bizarre.
@Cynic: "Woolas cannot defend it so we wont see him anywhere"
Get Ms Lumley and a squad of Gurkhas to flush him out then.
I'm sure Joanna Lumley could get Phillip of Woolas to answer questions about this. Doubt anyone else could, however.
Someone throw another pie at him, please.
Oh dear, Labour having a gotterdammerung moment.
As they say timing is everything.
This is just unbelievable, in the words of Littlejohn “you could not make it up.”
I can only assume labour are going for a scorched earth policy before they get voted into 3rd place. I hope that they are absolutely decimated next Thursday and never become a force in politics ever again.
Daedalus
Shock horror, the final week of the campaign focuses on immigration!
..err wasn't that what the electorate wanted to talk about all along but were denied?
What next a sensible debate about Europe??
Phil Woolas would defend in his usual way, obfuscation and misuse of statistics.
They're doing it at Gatwick as well by the way. (Family member works for the Borders Agency)
Couldn't make it up. Barking mad. Why can't we get rid of the waste-of-time diversity / risk management / targets managers rather than the front line people??
It's just another aspect of Labour's Scorched Earth policy: let all the terrorists and other undesirables in unchecked, to continue to wreck the nation even after they've gone from office.
Browns last chance to destroy England
Also did you know they relaxed non-eu IT visa controls 2 weeks ago after heavy lobbying from Indian IT companies. You used to need a masters degree now all you need is a degree. Only 25% of grads can get jobs and Labour opens the flood gates. Unbelievable.
Oh ... forgot to call you a racist, sexist, homphobic bigot Iain for bringing this to our attention.
Just so labour Says one thing then does another.
Of course this is from the same THIS IS KENT that this week reported a mini Sangatte camp because one homeless man, "who has now moved on" left a few plastic sheets in the woods.
THIS IS KENT is of course the web site used by the Daily Hitler's local papers in Kent which are notoriously biased in favour of the Tories. I wonder why they seem to have a co-ordinated series of articles on immigration this week??
Link to THIS IS KENT Mini Sangatte scaremongering
http://beta.thisiskent.co.uk/news/illegal-gateway-fear-camp/article-2083682-detail/article.html
@ tory boys
Really, don't be an idiot all of your life. Take a couple of days off.
Do you seriously believe that any newspaper is 'unbiased'?
See the Agency's website for the explanation:
"The Agency has a strategic team to promote equality and diversity throughout the organisation.
There is a network of approximately 170 equality and diversity advisers throughout the organisation to raise awareness of equality and diversity issues in the business.
A blended programme of diversity learning is available for all staff."
This measure will promote diversity throughout the UK!
Unsworth
Please learn to spot rhetorical questions?
Have you read the article I referred to - it is pretty laughable even by Daily Mail standards.
Julian H said...
As a libertarian, I think people should be able to travel to and live wherever they like.
Quite right, Julian and when you get to the Moon be sure to bring me a taste of that green cheese.
Hey grown up labour boy like your masters you are avoiding the question. Just like the labour apologists appearing in various debates you divert to some other point so that the original question is ignored.
Sadly I suspect Despairing Lib is right.
Even if the politicians are telling the truth about cuts only affecting the wasteful bureaucracy and not frontline services, it's that very bureaucracy that controls implementation. And as the old saying goes: Turkeys don't vote for Christmas.
This is typical of the fights that will have to be fought by whoever gets into office next week.
Unsworth,
The Guardian certainly isn't unbiased.
According to today's editorial it's endorsing Nick Clegg and the LibDems.
Julian H "As a libertarian, I think people should be able to travel to and live wherever they like. Of all Labour's crimes, to focus on this is absolutely bizarre."
A welfare state as we have it is incompatible with free migration.
One or the other. As Labour staunchly defends the Welfare State, its behaviour over immigration is of particular importance.
I wonder what if anything the labour party will preach now after the bigot jibe. this lady was voicing the concerns of the majority of non-racist people in this country. why not bring the troops back from afghanistan, and have them patrol our country.we may feel we are under seige, but if this is what it takes to keep us safe, I am all for it.it would cut the defence budget, renew the economy, and save british lives.
@ Tory boys
You need some remedial work in your understanding and usage of English - in particular puctuation and the use of the Question Mark.
State Educated, perhaps?
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