The Airline Liaison Officer network which works with airlines to stop passengers who do not have genuine documents setting off for the UK is to be expanded, Immigration Minister Des Browne announced.
The Home Office says it is spending more than £4m to increase the network of Airline Liaison Officers (ALOs) as part of a Five-Year Strategy to strengthen borders and extend controls beyond the UK. The funding will also be used to enhance IT systems and technology used by ALOs in the fight against people trafficking and illegal immigration.
There is a permanent network of 27 ALOs based in 25 posts across Europe, Asia and Africa. The number of staff in the network will rise to a total of 42, beginning in the next two months.
ALOs’ primary role is to provide airline staff with on-the-spot advice to help identify fraudulent travel documents and inadequately documented passengers. In 2004, advice from ALOs led airlines to prevent over 30,000 passengers from embarking on flights at ALO locations, including more than 800 improperly documented children.
What they say
Des Browne said: “Our network of Airline Liaison Officers has had a significant impact helping to disrupt the activities of people traffickers, target undocumented travellers and prevent unaccompanied and improperly documented children being sent to the UK.
“The expansion of the ALO network will increase our ability to respond quickly, flexibly and in an intelligence-led way to the ever-changing methods used by facilitators and illegal migrants. Itis part of our Five-Year Strategy, along with e-Borders, biometric identity cards and visas to deliver strengthened border controls for the 21st Century.”
The Airline Liaison Officer network is supported by a team of 30 Immigration Officers who are able to respond quickly and flexibly to new threats as they emerge, it is claimed.
The Government adds that it will continue to expand the ALO network year on year and planning is already underway for further enlargement in the financial year 2006 to 2007.
