Record number of Border Force staff face corruption probes with dozens suspended

Some 55 Border Force officers were suspended last year and dozens more Home Office staff lost their jobs working in VIP visa services and ­immigration enforcement.

A record number of Border Force officers have been disciplined for corruption and 18 were sacked, shock figures show.

Some 55 officers were suspended last year and dozens more Home Office staff lost their jobs working in VIP visa services and ­immigration enforcement.

Last year, the force that handles immigration and customs controls was thought to be facing a higher risk of corruption due to staff dissatisfaction over pay and conditions.

David Neal, the chief inspector of borders and immigration, urged Border Force chiefs to address this as it could be a “breeding ground for insider risk to grow and become insider acts”. He said: “Border Force needs to be equipped for success. On the evidence of this inspection, it does not appear to be as well-equipped as it could or ought to be, which risks wider reputational consequence.”

In April, Border Force officer Kevin Smith, 38, who worked in Portsmouth, was jailed for two years by Kingston crown court after admitting misconduct in a public office. He let through a car from France carrying 15kg of MDMA worth £400,000 and was later found to have a relationship with one of the smugglers.

Gareth Glynn Davies, 44, a Border Force field intelligence officer at Folkestone, was probed after the National Crime Agency was tipped off that he may be involved in supplying drugs. In April, he admitted two drug supply offences and was sentenced to five years and 11 months.

The Home Office said it expects “the highest standards” in Border Force, adding: “Where unacceptable behaviour is found, it is rooted out.”