Border Force

Border Force is a law enforcement command within the Home Office. Border Force secures the border and promotes national prosperity by facilitating the legitimate movement of individuals and goods, whilst preventing those that would cause harm from entering the UK. This is achieved through the immigration and customs checks carried out by our staff at ports and airports. Our officers work at 140 sea and air ports across the UK and overseas.

National SAMS – Safeguarding and Modern Slavery (SAMS): Border Force have a duty of care to ensure that all people cross our border safely. We have measures in place to identify and respond to vulnerable people with particular responsibilities to children and potential victims of modern slavery. Border Force supports and assists law enforcement at the border in the prevention and detection of those who traffic human beings for modern slavery; those who abuse children; and those who cause harm to victims through any other unlawful act.  We do this through a national network of specially trained SAMS officers.

Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Team (CECPT) is a national team with responsibility for the administration of the Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty regime.

The Commercial Smuggling Development Team (CSDT) is a highly skilled and motivated Border Force Team. It focuses on quality selection and in-depth rummage of freight vehicles, enhancing technical expertise in the identification of sophisticated concealments, and best practice in dealing with commercial smuggling offences. The CSDT utilises the latest technology to detect significant quantities of prohibited & restricted goods, assist other law enforcement agencies and disrupt organised crime groups.

The Border Force Search of Vehicle Training Centre is a centre of excellence that provides quality training in search of cars, freight and pleasure craft. The Centre is also closely affiliated with other Border Force Training Centres in commercial vessel and container search.

 Training is delivered to both Border Force Officers and Officers from other UK agencies. The centre also undertakes training and mentoring for foreign agencies both at our training centre in the UK and abroad.  Our trainers are highly experienced front line Officers which ensures our training is up to date both in trends and modern technology around vehicles and concealments.