CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION has said it will do all it can to combat the threat of illegal immigrants using the Bailiwick as a back door to the UK. It insisted it was fully aware of the potential threat of illegal immigration into the islands and the UK.

‘At the heart of the challenges facing us lie those people who will take advantage of the global movement of people to traffic or smuggle migrants,’ said Customs and Immigration Service chief officer Rob Prow.

The service has operated an intelligence-led approach over recent years and will continue to enhance this method of working. But it cannot operate in isolation when facing this type of work and regular liaison with colleagues in the UK Immigration Service, Jersey and France is a daily feature of its work.

‘We also liaise with and receive excellent assistance from the various carriers operating into sea and airports throughout the Bailiwick,’ said Mr Prow.

‘It is inevitable that a port such as St Malo will, from time to time, be used by those seeking to enter the UK and islands unlawfully.’

Local officers regularly meet French police and customs officers and port operators to ensure that any risk is kept to a minimum. Port security is reviewed regularly.

The carriers are fully aware of the threat of containers being used by illegal immigrants and have implemented their own checks to reduce the chance of this happening, said Mr Prow.

He believed the detection of an Iraqi national in Jersey last weekend was testament to effective controls.

The 31-year-old asylum seeker was discovered on Sunday morning hiding in a trailer in St Helier Harbour.

Customs and Immigration officers found him wedged in a 18-inch gap at the top of a trailer carrying plastic packaging. It had just arrived from St Malo on the Commodore Goodwill.

On being told he was in Jersey and not the UK, the man said he did not want to claim asylum so was returned to France on Condor 10.

The man, who had a false leg, was discovered by officers using CO2 detection equipment. They also found a rip in the side of the trailer, which led them to the man hiding above. When found, he was suffering from dehydration and had to be treated in hospital before returning to the harbour to be interviewed by Immigration and Special Branch officers.

‘We cannot do everything, so it is vital that we decide what we can do on the basis of sound intelligence, profiling and risk assessment,’ said Mr Prow.

The service regularly reviews the risks and deploys staff accordingly.

‘We are confident that our current methods of working will enable us to be flexible and adapt to the various threats facing the service.’

Jersey’s immigration department was on a heightened state of alert last weekend after two Iraqis, who were friends of the man found in Jersey, were discovered hiding under a trailer in St Malo on Saturday afternoon. It is thought the trio left Iraq up to two years ago and spent some time in Turkey before travelling across Europe. They had been in St Malo for about four weeks and were known to the French authorities.

Jersey immigration’s chief executive officer, Steve Cole, said: ‘Customs and Immigration are the two lead border agencies and together with police colleagues we keep demonstrating that we have the experience, skills and commitment to maintain the integrity of the island’s frontiers.’

The three men have now been detained by French port police.