Borders are wide open

Yes, I can hear the politicians and civil servants (or whoever it is that runs our island) say that such controls would be too difficult to enforce, or some other excuse.

An explanation is needed firstly as to why a small island such as Guernsey, with only two points of entry, cannot record movements of people in and out. All countries have border control on arrivals at their ports of entry and this is in place to prevent the entry of criminals and illegal immigrants. The USA is a prime example of a country protecting itself against threat, as anyone with a criminal record cannot even obtain an entry visa.

I pass through Guernsey Airport on a regular basis and in the corner of the baggage collection hall is a small desk, most often manned by three to four personnel. There is always a lengthy wait for the hold baggage to arrive and I question why this time cannot be used by Guernsey Border Agency to check individuals as they arrive by scanning their identification, using a system linked to an appropriate database.

The thought of being confronted by an officer of the border agency would act as a deterrent for undesirables thinking of coming to our island. Yes, a cost would be involved, but not in manpower, as the officials are already on duty, but balance that out with the time and money spent in dealing with offenders who enter the island with criminal records. In that way, our population control would be proactive rather than reactive.

Our Press reports daily on court hearings of crimes committed by non-locals with previous convictions. Once they are convicted, we then have to pay to keep them in prison or manage whatever sentence they receive.

Like many other islanders, I would like answers. How many people does it take to ask this question before answers are given? The usual response is that individuals should submit their question in writing to the appropriate department. How is this managed? If letters are written by 1% of the population, will answers be sent to those 600-plus individuals? Does it take that many letters to be received before the matter is resolved? This to me seems to be an inappropriate use of manpower. The problem is obvious and shouldn't even need to be highlighted to those managing our borders.

In years gone by, any letter sent to the Press which questioned police or border procedures would be forwarded to good local men like George Le Page (ex-chief of police) or Rob Prow (head of Customs and Immigration), who would willingly provide open and transparent responses. How times are changing. Too many English ways coming through, but, unfortunately, not on border control.

KEITH LAMBOTTE,

La Cite,

Rue de Quanteraine,

St Peter's,

GY7 9DQ.

Editor's footnote: A law enforcement spokesman responds: 'Thank you for the opportunity to respond. We are happy to discuss the issues around your correspondent's letter but do not feel doing so via a published written response offers the best avenue for the author to be able to fully engage with staff on the points raised. Therefore, we would like to extend an invitation to the letter writer to contact the Guernsey Border Agency deputy chief officer Paul Ferbrache on 741417 so that a full explanation can be given.'