Free Entry

Yet again it has been suggested that the UK border agency is not fit for purpose and that got me thinking.
 
Just how porous are Guernsey’s borders?
 
I haven’t been on the ferry for a while but when I have been traveling back to our Island, stuffed to the gunnels with returning student household goods and personal effects, I have just breezed through the big shed.
 
And that’s coming in by the legal route. Just how vigorous are controls for our informal boating visitors and day cruisers?
 
Then there’s the airport. You’d expect controls to be pretty vigorous there but just how do you control visitors?
 
Come in for a holiday and then disappear into one of the various immigrant communities and who is the wiser?
 
Even if the border guards are suspicious, what powers do they actually have to close the door?
 
What about criminal record checks? 

Well, we’ve seen how rigorously these have been conducted in the past. That’s to say we find out after something has gone wrong. And that’s assuming you can gain access to foreign criminal registers. I understand that some countries are somewhat less than compliant and only too glad to see the back of some of their criminals.
 
The end result?
 
An Island with a population well in excess of the stated figure and nobody doing anything about it.
 
I hate to say it but the Germans may have had a good idea with identity cards.
 
Can’t prove who you are? Bye then.
 
Some department or another must know who is here legally so just maintain that register and let the police and border agency check it when needed.
 
Get into trouble or get stopped by the police and guess what? Show your card and get it checked or go to the ferry via jail.
 
Invasion of personal rights? Better than the invasion of the Island we are enduring at present.
 
Racist?
 
No. Maybe a trifle xenophobic but when hasn’t Guernsey been that way?
 
If you are here legally then I don’t care what colour your skin is or what language you first said “Mummy” in.
 
The rest of our illegal stop overs can go home.
 
This is of course assuming that anyone in government is interested in doing their job or actually cares enough to get involved.