Port security clash is all about money, insists MSP

THE row over the decision by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to axe three port posts at Stranraer and Cairnryan was about money, not security, the Tories' justice spokesman said last night.

His comments follow the claim by Dumfries and Galloway's chief constable, Patrick Shearer, that the decision to pull out from the ports was "folly" and would have an impact on security.

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Bill Aitken said: "The issue of course is about funding, and I can envisage in the coming months a lot more similar arguments between differing public bodies.

"I could understand the police concern, but the agencies are going to have to sort it out between themselves. Certainly, the practical view would be that we can't have a situation where we fall between two stools and nobody is covering this very important job."

The UKBA confirmed that funding for three police officers at Stranraer had been withdrawn.

The posts had been filled by officers seconded from the police force, who were paid by the agency. In axing the posts, the UKBA is effectively handing back responsibility for paying the officers to the force, at a time when it is facing potential budget cuts of 6.7 million.

The jobs due to be axed are not associated with day-to-day policing of the port but deal with organising operations and examining intelligence. The work to prevent illegal immigration will move to the UKBA's office in Northern Ireland.

A spokesman for Dumfries and Galloway Police yesterday outlined the practical effects the cuts would have on the policing of port, stating that in future they expect a "minimum time delay of two hours" before any member of UKBA will be on site. On general day-to-day crossings, he said there will limited or no service being provided, despite the "significant level of immigration offences being detected on a regular basis by Dumfries and Galloway officers".

He added: "Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary will always police the ports as efficiently and effectively as we can with the resources available to us.

"The significant impact posed by the loss of the three UKBA posts is being evaluated. In a letter to the Scottish Government, the UKBA have already acknowledged and accepted that 'the route is a nexus point for illegal immigration between Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland'."

About 1.75 million people and 750,000 vehicles pass through the ports of Stranraer and Cairnryan each year. The police force estimates it has a 25 per cent detection rate on immigration and smuggling-related offences.

The force has already sustained a cut in the number of officers funded by the Scottish government.

Ian Blake, convener of Dumfries and Galloway Police Authority, said: "The UKBA are walking away; we can't.We have a responsibility to police it (the port] as effectively as possible."