Two senior officers from the UK Border Force arrived in the Cayman Islands last weekend for talks on future cooperation and assistance in the customs and immigration areas. Sam Bullimore, Deputy Director, Border Force Intelligence Directorate and Timothy Coward, National Container Targeting and Risk Manager will be here for a week.

The visit was organised by the Governor’s and Deputy Governor’s offices and is seen as a scoping mission which will aim to identify areas where training and policy collaboration with the UK can enhance the effectiveness of operations in the Cayman Islands. One of the areas under discussion will be modern profiling and targeting procedures to ensure that suspect passengers are clearly identified and dealt with appropriately on arrival. Passenger flows through the airport and identification of suspect cargo is also likely to be discussed.

Her Excellency the Governor, Helen Kilpatrick commented: “Although the Cayman Islands is one of the safest places in the Caribbean region we cannot be complacent. Our Customs and Immigration Officers play a vital role in stopping the risks we encounter from external organised crime and terrorism. At the same time it is important that we provide a first class, welcoming experience to visitors to Cayman and that begins at our air and sea ports. I am delighted that Border Force will be working with our officers to ensure that we maintain modern, appropriate and cost effective border controls.”

Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon. Marco Archer appreciates the opportunity for better enforcement of our borders. “I am delighted that the Customs officers are able to further enhance their skills and knowledge as they discuss how best to continue protecting our borders and carry out our duties in the fight against international crime and criminals,” Mr. Archer said.

Financial Secretary, Mr. Kenneth Jefferson welcomed the team from Border Force. “This visit fits well with the Customs departments efforts to streamline the processing of passengers at the airport. We will also discuss how we can improve our fraud detection and the detection of firearms and drugs,” he said.

Acting Chief Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs Ms Kathryn Dispel Powell stated, “This visit is timely – we are entering our high season for tourist arrivals and it is important that our Immigration Officers are trained in the latest techniques so that we only focus our attention on unscrupulous passengers and allow genuine tourists smooth passage through our controls.”

Border Force secures the UK border by carrying out immigration and customs controls for people and goods entering the UK.

Border Force was formed on 1 March 2012 as a law enforcement command within the UK 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 their staff at ports and airports.

Border Force is Responsible for:

• checking the immigration status of people arriving in and departing the UK
• searching baggage, vehicles and cargo for illicit goods or illegal immigrants
• patrolling the UK coastline and searching vessels
• gathering intelligence
• alerting the police and security services to people of interest.

Photos By: Jamie Hicks, Information Officer, GIS:

 Top row (left to right): DOI Training and Development Manager Mrs. Jenifer Gager-Sterling, DOI HR Manager Ms. Antonette Richards, Secretary of Caymanian Status & Permanent Residency Board Ms. Susan Dixon, DAT&T HR Manager Mrs. Delrose Crawford, Graduate Mr. Steven Scott, Graduate Ms. Deanira Brown, Graduate Mr. Adam Clyne, Head of Passport & Corporate Services Ms. Janice McLean, DOI Assistant HR Manager Ms. Audrey Hill and Acting DCIO (Border Control and Intelligence) Mr. Jeremy Scott.

Bottom row (left to right): Acting DCIO (Border Control) Mrs. Tamara Reid-Vernon, Chief Officer for DAT&T Mr. Stran Bodden, Deputy Governor Mr. Franz Manderson, Acting Chief Immigration Officer Mr. Garfield Wong and DOI Director of Policy & Strategic Management Christopher Eakin.