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61-686: It was established in 1973 as police de l'air et des frontières . On 29 January 1999, it was given its current name, and its existing organisational character was determined in 2011. It works alongside its British counterpart, the UK Border Force , at the juxtaposed controls in Calais and along the Channel Tunnel Rail Link; and at the Port of Dover with Kent Police and Port of Dover Police . Since 1995, customs have replaced

122-727: A Surveyor) within which were several Stations, each staffed by one or more Officers of Customs and Excise. In each Collection, the Stations were responsible for assessment of duty while the Collector's Office focused on collection of revenue. The Waterguard carried out preventive work; it worked closely alongside the Outdoor Service but was separately constituted with its own management structure and its own geographical 'Divisions'. After 1971, management structures were streamlined and unified, with Civil Service grades replacing

183-418: A WWII cost-cutting measure)). Prior to 1946, Chief Preventive Officers (CPO) wore two and a half gold stripes on their uniform while Preventive Officers (PO) had one stripe and Assistant Preventive Officers (APO) no stripe. After that date CPOs wore three stripes, POs two stripes and APOs one stripe. All uniformed grades wore a Navy curl ; CPOs were further distinguished by having a row of gold oak leaves on

244-490: A far longer history, the first written reference being found in an eighth-century charter of King Aethelbald . Following the 1707 Act of Union a separate Scottish Board of Customs and Scottish Excise Board were constituted; a century later separate boards were likewise established for Ireland. By an Act of Parliament dated 2 May 1823, these and the English Boards were consolidated to form a single Board of Excise and

305-597: A mix of Investigation Officers and Higher Investigation Officers. Officers of the Waterguard had their own rank structure, namely: Assistant Preventive Officer (APO), Preventive Officer (PO) and Chief Preventive Officer (CPO); all these routinely wore uniform (see below). Higher grades were the Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent, neither of whom wore a uniform. After 1971 the Waterguard

366-526: A new corporate structure, which substantially remained in place until 1971. The new Board of Customs and Excise had oversight of three inter-linked branches, each with its own management structure: The Board of Customs and Excise was made up of eight Commissioners appointed by Letters Patent under the Great Seal and chaired by a Permanent Secretary . The Board was responsible to the Chancellor of

427-571: A port if the Border Officer thinks they would be liable to arrest by a police constable . The power allows detention for three hours pending the arrival of a police constable. The power also applies to points of entry in Belgium and France where Border Officers work, whereby the Border Officer will turn the detained person over to Belgian or French police officers as appropriate. In July 2024, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced

488-638: A separate Home Office Command. "Designated Immigration Officers" are Border Force immigration officers who have been designated with additional detention powers, under Sections 1 to 4 of the UK Borders Act 2007, where a person at a port or airport is suspected of being liable to arrest by a police officer for non-border offences. Border Force officers designated as customs officials under the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 have wide-ranging powers of entry, search, seizure and arrest. They hold

549-569: A single Board of Customs for the whole United Kingdom. These boards (and their successors) were made up of commissioners, appointed under the Great Seal of the Realm . Originally, the term customs meant any customary payments or dues of any kind (for example, to the king, or a bishop, or the church), but later became restricted to duties payable to the king on the import or export of goods. A centralised English customs system can be traced to

610-581: A stab vest, or equipment vest. BF also has a dog unit and dog handlers. Immigration control within the United Kingdom is managed within a wider Common Travel Area (CTA). The CTA is an intergovernmental agreement that allows freedom of movement within an area that encompasses the UK, Isle of Man, Channel Islands (Guernsey, Jersey, Sark and Alderney) and the Republic of Ireland. Authorised entry to any of

671-526: A time, the Excise Board was also responsible for collecting the duty levied on imports of beverages such as rum, brandy and other spirits, as well as tea, coffee, chocolate and cocoa beans. Prior to payment of duty, these items were often stored in a bonded warehouse , where excise officers could assess and measure them. A Board of Excise was likewise established by the Long Parliament under

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732-434: A variety of other responsibilities over the years, some of which had nothing to do with revenue collection and protection. Many of these additional duties pertained to the regulation of activities in UK coastal waters on behalf of HM Government (not least because HMCE had customs officers stationed all around the UK coast). Thus at various times in the 20th century HMCE was involved in receiving, regulating or recording: In

793-651: Is composed of: The DNPAF extends its action throughout the national territory of France and overseas through a territorial network based on 7 zonal directorates (DZPAF North, DZPAF East, DZPAF South East, DZPAF South, DZPAF South West, DZPAF West, DZPAF Antilles-Guyane), 2 airport directorates ( Charles De Gaulle Airport / Paris–Le Bourget Airport ), 4 directorates (DPAF New Caledonia , French Polynesia , St Pierre and Miquelon and Mayotte ), 45 departmental directorates (DDPAF), 7 railway brigades, 7 poles of analysis and operational management, 10 brigades of aeronautical police. 15 administrative detention centres are controlled by

854-607: Is controlled by juxtaposed immigration controls . Travellers clear UK passport control in France, Belgium or the Netherlands, while those travelling from the UK to France, Belgium or the Netherlands clear entry border checks to the Schengen Area while in the UK. Belgium and the Netherlands do not maintain controls in the UK as the first Schengen country entered is France. UK Border Force checkpoints in France are operated at

915-830: The Inland Revenue (which was responsible for the administration and collection of direct taxes ) to form a new department: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The three main functions of HMCE were revenue collection , assessment and preventive work , alongside which other duties were performed. On behalf of HM Treasury , officers of HM Customs and Excise levied customs duties , excise duties , and other indirect taxes (such as Air Passenger Duty , Climate Change Levy , Insurance Premium Tax , Landfill Tax , Purchase Tax and Value-added tax (VAT) ). Officers spent significant amounts of time in docks, warehouses and depots and on board newly arrived ships assessing dutiable goods and cargoes. Specialist tools were provided e.g. for

976-606: The Irish Free State in 1922 gave the United Kingdom a land border, which also required customs checkpoints ; later, customs officers were needed at airports as well. As well as administering Customs declarations , HM Customs and Excise staff had responsibility for guarding the borders of the United Kingdom from smugglers . To try to achieve this, HMCE and its predecessors had a history of operating both on land and at sea. The historic headquarters of HM Customs

1037-636: The Port of Calais , the Port of Dunkirk , the Eurotunnel Calais Terminal , Calais-Fréthun station (suspended in 2020), Lille Europe station and Paris Gare du Nord station. For passengers arriving by the Eurostar train from Marne-la-Vallée Chessy station, UK border control takes place at the arrival stations in the UK whereas French border controls take place at Marne-la-Vallée Chessy . A checkpoint operated at Boulogne-sur-Mer until

1098-545: The Winchester Assize of Customs of 1203, in the reign of King John , from which time customs were to be collected and paid to the State Treasury. HM Customs was established on a more permanent basis with the passing of legislation in the reign of King Edward I : the nova custuma of 1275. Alongside the nova custuma (which was levied on exported wool and leather) duty was levied on imported goods; from

1159-536: The "Excise Ordinance" of 1643 ( Ordinance for the speedy raising and levying of moneys by way of charge or impost upon several commodities ). After 1662 Excise revenue was farmed for the most part, until the Board was established on a permanent footing in 1683. In 1849 the Board of Excise was merged with the Board of Stamps and Taxes to create a new Board of Inland Revenue . The combined Board of Customs and Excise

1220-573: The 14th century this became known as tonnage and poundage . A Board of Customs was effectively created by the Long Parliament on 21 January 1643 under the Ordinance concerning the Customs for the continuance of the ordinance of concerning the subsidy of Tonnage and Poundage from 1 March 1643, to 25 March 1644 . Under this act the regulation of the collection of customs was entrusted to a parliamentary committee; however in 1662 Parliament reverted to

1281-608: The 1970s Customs & Excise officers were operating from around 2,000 offices located in all parts of the United Kingdom; they ranged in size from large regional centres to small outposts attached to distilleries and the like. Historically, the Board of Customs and the Board of Excise were (along with the General Post Office ) 'the only Crown Services organised on a country-wide basis'. Custom houses were to be found in all major ports of entry (as well as some smaller harbours). Excise Offices were located both around

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1342-609: The BF are known as "Border Force officers" and are civil servants , part of HM's Civil Service . Staff hold a mixture of powers granted to them by their status as immigration officers and designated customs officials. Immigration officers have powers of arrest and detention conferred on them by the Immigration Act 1971 and subsequent Immigration Acts, when both at ports and inland. In practice, non-arrest trained Border Force immigration officers exercise powers under Schedule 2 of

1403-573: The DNPAF. UK Border Force Border Force ( BF ) is a British law enforcement command within the Home Office , responsible for frontline border control operations at air, sea and rail ports in the United Kingdom . The force was part of the now defunct UK Border Agency from its establishment in 2008 until Home Secretary Theresa May demerged it in March 2012 after severe criticism of

1464-466: The Exchequer for collecting and accounting for all customs and excise revenues and for 'the management of all matters belonging and incidental to such collection'. The Headquarters Staff had oversight of policy implementation and management, as well as providing central accounting, legal and administrative services; its operation was akin to that of a government department . The Outdoor Service

1525-519: The Immigration Act 1971, while inland immigration officers work under S28A-H of the Immigration Act 1971 and paragraph 17 of Schedule 2 of the same Act, as do arrest-trained Border Force immigration officers at the frontier. Historically, port and inland immigration officers received different training to reflect these different approaches to immigration enforcement, which is now reinforced by inland officers working for Immigration Enforcement ,

1586-727: The Preventive Water Guard was formed, independent of HM Customs, as a specialist service to combat smuggling. In 1822 it was brought together with the Riding Officers and Cutter service to form a new body (under the authority of HM Customs) named the Coast Guard . In 1856, however, authority over the Coast Guard was transferred from the Customs to the Admiralty . In 1891 a specialist Waterguard service

1647-766: The Second World War, however, the need for active vessels was again recognised and suitable craft were purchased from the Admiralty. By 1962 HMCE had four fast launches in service, crewed by officers of the Waterguard (many of whom had seen active service in the Royal Navy); by 1980 eight further vessels had been acquired. In the 21st century, a fleet of Customs Cutters (latterly 42 metre Damen patrol vessels) continued to operate throughout UK territorial waters inspecting vessels for Prohibited and restricted goods and increasingly immigration matters In 2005,

1708-548: The UK: As early as 2003, a single "border police force" had been proposed. In 2005, HMCE and Inland Revenue merged to form HMRC, however HMRC was still responsible for customs control at the border until 2009. Throughout 2006 and 2007 there were suggestions for a merged border control department. Initially this plan was to turn the Immigration and Nationality Directorate into a uniformed body of Immigration officers at

1769-620: The UKBA, then-Home Secretary Theresa May said that an independent inquiry would be undertaken, led by the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency John Vine. UK Border Force became a separate organisation on 1 March 2012. The first Director General of Border Force was the former Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police Brian Moore , who was appointed on secondment on an interim basis to last until 31 August 2012 and

1830-638: The US. All vessels of the Border Force bear the ship prefix "HMC"— His Majesty's Cutter . Between May and October 2015 two of the vessels, HMC Protector and HMC Seeker , were deployed in the Mediterranean conducting search and rescue operations. The Border Force also has a recently chartered vessel named MV VOS Grace . On 30 October 2022, the new Immigration Centre in Dover Harbour

1891-538: The above essentially allows entry to all the others but it is the responsibility of the person entering to ensure that they are properly documented for entry to other parts of the CTA. Despite the CTA it is still possible to be deported from the UK to the Republic of Ireland and vice versa. Entry to the UK via the Channel Tunnel from France, Belgium or the Netherlands, or by ferry from Calais and Dunkirk in France

Direction nationale de la police aux frontières - Misplaced Pages Continue

1952-1055: The border 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at the UK’s ports, airports, postal depots and rail. This includes the Eurostar from Brussels and Paris to St Pancras International and the Eurotunnel from Coquelles to Folkestone . There are approximately 10,000 people who work in Border Force, according to the UK Government website. The regions' work includes stopping 100 percent of passengers arriving at ports or airports for immigration controls. Officers also conduct risk-led interceptions for controlled drugs, cash, tobacco, alcohol, firearms, offensive weapons, prohibited goods, counterfeit goods and clandestine entrants. They do this at passenger and freight controls, covering passengers travelling on foot, by car, coaches, freight vehicles, as well as air freight and sea containers. Members of

2013-474: The border enforcement functions of HMCE were transferred (along with the organisation responsible for them) to HMRC; but in 2008 they were again transferred (at least in part) to the new UK Border Agency of the Home Office, which due to various failings was itself disbanded in 2012, whereupon a new UK Border Force was established with border enforcement responsibilities and powers. Historically, some of

2074-430: The border police in carrying out immigration control at smaller border checkpoints , in particular at maritime ports and regional airports. DNPAF is headed by a central director assisted by a deputy central director and includes 2 different commands: DNPAF has 10,088 agents as of January 1, 2013. The central command of DNPAF, headed by a central director and senior police officers from the design and management body,

2135-587: The border, the Border and Immigration Agency . The BIA was created on 1 April 2007. It was short lived and was replaced only a year later on 1 April 2008 by the UK Border Agency (UKBA). The UK Border Agency was a merger of the BIA, UKvisas and the port customs functions of HM Revenue and Customs. It created one of the largest law enforcement bodies in the UK. On 5 November 2011, following various failings of

2196-478: The coast and inland (in former centuries, every market town in England had a designated Excise Office, albeit not permanently staffed; often a room in a local inn would be adapted for the purpose when required). The nation's borders were the prime location for much of HMCE's work. Before the 20th century the UK's only border was its coastline and customs activity was focused around the coast. The establishment of

2257-520: The correct taxes and duties. Uniformed Border Force officers have their rank displayed on shoulder epaulettes, attached to their shirt, jumper or jacket. Warranted officers below Senior Officer rank may also have their identification number displayed. All BF officers wear a dark blue uniform (without headgear) and have certain equipment to help them do their jobs. BF officers always wear their rank and personal number on an epaulette (see above). Officers carry batons, handcuffs, radios and may wear

2318-611: The creation of the Border Security Command, an appendant supervisory body of the Border Force that will be tasked with tackling organised immigration crime. The new unit will report to the Home Secretary directly and will direct the National Crime Agency , intelligence agencies, and police on how to break up smuggling gangs. Prior to 2007 three agencies were responsible for border control in

2379-502: The farming system, until a permanent Board was finally established in 1671. His or Her Majesty's Excise duties are inland duties levied on articles at the time of their manufacture, such as alcoholic drinks and tobacco . Excise duties were first levied in England in 1643, during the Commonwealth (initially on beer, cider, spirits and soap); later, duties were levied on such diverse commodities as salt , paper and bricks . For

2440-541: The measurement of containers or the specific gravity of alcohol. HMCE was responsible for managing the import and export of goods and services into the UK; as such, its officers were active in the detection and prevention of attempts to evade the revenue laws, for example through smuggling or illicit distillation of alcohol . Since the early 17th century, the searching of vessels for illicit goods when undertaken by customs officers has been called 'rummaging'. For various reasons HMCE and its predecessors had accrued

2501-461: The merger with Inland revenue. The uniform worn by officers of the Waterguard was identical to Royal Navy officers’ uniform with the exception of the cap badge (a crowned portcullis with flying chains), buttons (a crown rather than the fouled anchor ) and the cuff rank lace (which only extended halfway round the cuff, rather than full cuff as in the Royal Navy (this possibly believed to be

Direction nationale de la police aux frontières - Misplaced Pages Continue

2562-600: The merger would go ahead, and the merged body ( HM Revenue and Customs ) was implemented by the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 . For centuries, combatting smuggling had been part of the job of revenue officers. In the late 17th century, a concerted effort was made to combat this growing problem; land-based Riding Officers were employed to patrol the coast on horseback, while Revenue cutters were provided to enable officers to intercept vessels involved in smuggling at sea. In 1809 an organisation called

2623-475: The mid-twentieth century to combat fraud and drug smuggling , the Investigation Division was headed by a Chief Investigation Officer, equivalent in rank to a Collector, assisted by a Deputy Chief Investigation Officer and a number of Assistant Chief Investigation Officers. Each team of, usually, six was headed by a Senior Investigation Officer (equivalent to a Surveyor or SEO) and consisted of

2684-460: The newly built King's Beam House in Mark Lane . (The damaged section of London's Custom House was later rebuilt and the building remained in use by HM Revenue and Customs until 2021.) In 1987 the headquarters staff moved again to New King's Beam House 22 Upper Ground London SE1 in the area of Southwark . The 1909 amalgamation of the (previously separate) Customs and Excise services required

2745-478: The peak of the cap. After 1971 the same uniform was adopted by uniformed officers of the Preventive Service. The Board of Customs, responsible for collecting duties levied on imported goods, and the Board of Excise, responsible for raising revenue from inland taxes, were both established in the 17th century. The raising of excise duties also dates from this time, but the levying of customs duties has

2806-585: The port closed in August 2010. UK Border Force Checkpoints in Belgium operate at Brussels-South railway station . UK Border Force checkpoints in the Netherlands operate from Amsterdam Centraal and Rotterdam Centraal stations. These began operating on 26 October 2020. United States border preclearance is an equivalent system operated by that country's equivalent to the UKBF at some airports outside

2867-519: The powers of both customs officers and immigration officers. Their duties also include counter-terrorism, part of which is to detect and deter the illicit importation of radioactive and nuclear material by terrorists or criminals. Aside from powers listed below in relation to immigration and customs, section 2 of the Borders Act 2007 also allows designated officers of the Border Force to detain anyone for any criminal offence or arrest warrant at

2928-581: The previous disparate ranking structures in most areas. At the same time the Waterguard ceased to operate as a separate body, although uniformed customs officers continued to be involved in preventive work. The majority of the Headquarters staff belonged to the Civil Service grades (generally clerical, executive, and secretariat). The main grades in the outfield were: clerical staff, Officer of C&E, Allowanced Officer of C&E (the allowance

2989-479: The same customs and excise powers as officers of HM Revenue and Customs , but cannot use HMRC powers for non-border matters, such as Income Tax and VAT. Amongst their powers is the ability to arrest anyone who has committed, or whom the officer has reasonable grounds to suspect has committed, any offence under the Customs and Excise Acts. They may also seize prohibited and restricted goods, such as controlled drugs and firearms, as well as ensuring that imported goods bear

3050-565: The senior management. Border Force was formed on 1 March 2012, becoming accountable directly to ministers. It is responsible for immigration and customs controls and the screening of passengers, freight and port staff at 140 rail, air and sea ports in the UK and western Europe, as well as thousands of smaller airstrips, ports and marinas. The work of the Border Force is monitored by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration . Border Force officers can hold

3111-575: The time of its dissolution) was a department of the British Government formed in 1909 by the merger of HM Customs and HM Excise ; its primary responsibility was the collection of customs duties , excise duties , and other indirect taxes . The payment of customs dues has been recorded in Britain for over one thousand years and HMCE was formed from predecessor bodies with a long history. With effect from 18 April 2005, HMCE merged with

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3172-478: Was appointed as the new Director General. Neither of the two had any previous experience of immigration or customs. The stated responsibilities of the Home Office 's Border Force are the following: Border Force is responsible for immigration and customs at 140 rail, air and sea ports in the UK and western Europe, as well as thousands of smaller airstrips, ports and marinas. Border Force has six operational regions: The regions have responsibility for securing

3233-585: Was attacked with firebombs thrown from a car. Two members of staff were injured. A suspect was found dead in a vehicle. Responsibility for investigation was passed to the Counter Terrorism Policing South East. Leak's online activities had included far-right content and conspiracy theories. On 5 November 2022, the police stated that the attack "was motivated by a terrorist ideology". HMCE HM Customs and Excise (properly known as Her Majesty's Customs and Excise at

3294-416: Was divided into geographical areas called Collections, each overseen by a Collector (a senior official who acted as the Board's representative). Initially there were ninety-two Collections (formed by merging the previously separate Customs Collections and Excise Collections) but these were later reduced: to thirty-nine by 1930, twenty-nine by 1971. The Collections were subdivided into Districts (each overseen by

3355-488: Was expected to apply for the position permanently, despite criticism of his management of passport queues. On 10 July 2012, Immigration Minister Damian Green confirmed that Moore had not applied for the post, despite Moore earlier telling the Home Affairs Select Committee that he would be applying. Tony Smith was appointed as interim Director General of Border Force on 19 September 2012. Smith

3416-443: Was for taking on certain administrative duties e.g. rostering), Surveyor of C&E – all of which were at 'district' level and then Assistant Collector, Deputy Collector and Collector (regional management). The regions of London Port and Liverpool (later 'London Airports' was added) were graded as slightly higher than the others. All grades were amalgamated and incorporated into the general Civil Service grades in 1971. Established in

3477-490: Was formed in 1909 by the transfer of responsibility for Excise from the Board of Inland Revenue to the Board of Customs. HM Customs and Excise was not responsible for collecting direct taxes: that was the job of the Inland Revenue. In March 2004, the O'Donnell review called for the merger of Customs and Excise with Inland Revenue; in the 2004 Budget , Gordon Brown , the Chancellor of the Exchequer , announced that

3538-579: Was previously Gold Commander for the London 2012 Olympic Programme and Regional Director for London and the South East in the UK Border Agency and has spent forty years in border control and enforcement work. Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Montgomery was named as the new Director General on 25 January 2013. In June 2017 Montgomery left Border Force and Paul Lincoln (a civil servant from the MOD and Home office)

3599-648: Was re-established within HM Customs, dedicated to rummaging vessels and combatting smuggling. Following the transfer of the Coastguard to the Admiralty, HM Customs had found itself bereft of sea-going vessels. For the first part of the twentieth century, HMCE made do with a single revenue cruiser, the Vigilant (which served more as a flagship for the Commissioners than as a practical deterrent). After

3660-433: Was renamed the Preventive Service and integrated into the main structure of HMCE. POs were renamed Executive Officers (Preventive) and APOs Assistant Officers (Preventive) . Customs & Excise officers had authority throughout the country, including the powers of entry to premises and of arrest (though at times requiring the presence of a police constable). HMCE had an overall headcount of 23,000 staff in 2004 before

3721-417: Was the Custom House on Lower Thames Street in the City of London . This went on to become the headquarters of HMCE when the Excise head office moved there from Somerset House in 1909. Later, however, the Commissioners along with most of the headquarters staff were forced to move out after the building was damaged in a bombing raid in December 1940. They moved initially to Finsbury Square , then in 1952 to

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