Mrs May said she had launched three inquiries in to what happened at the force as she told MPs senior staff had extended a pilot scheme she had authorised in April designed to focus checks on high-risk passengers entering the UK.
She told the House of Commons senior officials had "let down" hard-working staff and promised that those found guilty of relaxing checks without authorisation from ministers would be punished.
Mrs May said UK border force head Brodie Clark "authorised the wider relaxation of border controls without ministerial sanction."
Mr Clark, has since been suspended amid reports that border guards were told this summer not to bother checking fingerprints and other personal details against a Home Office database of terror suspects and illegal immigrants.
The Home Secretary said in July she agreed the UK Border Agency (UKBA) could "pilot a scheme that would allow Border Force officials to target intelligence-led checks on higher-risk categories of travellers". Read on and comment » | Monday, November 07, 2011
Why the hell is border control such a problem? Other countries are able to control their borders, to wit Switzerland, so why can't we? Are we really that dumb? – © Mark
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