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UK Border Security

About the event:

View conference presentations here

RUSI, in conjunction with the UK Border Agency, is hosting a major one-day conference on border security on Thursday, 25 February 2010. Interest in this topic remains high in light of recent events and substantial changes to UK policy.

The conference will present valuable new insights into the threats to the UK’s borders, the impact of recent reforms and the nature of the challenge going forward.

We know that the prosperity of the UK depends on its status as a trading nation. Balancing the need to protect the UK against terrorism and crime, while encouraging the flow of people and trade on which our future as a global hub depends, is an ongoing challenge for policy makers and business leaders alike.

Over recent years there has been a fundamental shift both to the concept of what constitutes the UK’s border and the methods by which it is secured.

This unique event will bring together senior policy makers and leaders from across government and the private sector. Attendance will be essential for anybody with a stake in the contemporary border security of the UK.

Agenda

0900  Ministerial Address

Phil Woolas MP, Minister of State for Borders and Immigration

0930- 1100  Session One: Contemporary UK Border Security

The policies and organisational structures which support UK border security have changed significantly in recent years. This session will feature senior officials from each of the agencies which now lie at the heart of the UK’s border security arrangements.

• How and why have border security arrangements changed in recent years?
• What has been the impact of the re-organisation, which agencies are now involved, what are their respective responsibilities, and how do they work together?
• How are the threats from organised crime, illegal immigration and terrorism being addressed?
• How are the current arrangements likely to evolve in the period ahead?

1130- 1300  Session Two: The UK as an International Hub

The UK’s prosperity depends upon the smooth flows of people and goods across its border. This session will look at the work which the UK is doing outside its border and offer perspectives from its key partners in Europe and the US. Further, it will bring in the experience of major private sector firms operating between all three.

• What work is the UK doing to export its borders and to what degree is its border security ‘intelligence led’?
• What agenda do our key international partners have for their own border security arrangements, and how is this likely to impact upon the UK?
• What tensions does securing the free flow of people and goods generate? How well are we managing these tensions and how are they likely to develop in the future?

1400- 1530  Session Three: Securing the Border through Technology

The sheer scale of the challenge and the apparently growing threat to the UK’s border mean that the increasing employment of technology is inevitable. However, technology itself cannot be a panacea. This session will look to the increasing use of technology, and the opportunities and the limitations of what can be achieved.

• How effectively is technology currently being employed, and how has the roll-out of significant technology projects enhanced the security of the UK’s border?
• What new capabilities are on the horizon and how will they change the way we think about security at our border?
• What are the human factors in the use of technology, what are the limitations to its use, and what implications does it have for privacy and civil liberties?

The conference programme will be made available shortly.  For more information about this event, or to discuss sponsorship packages, please contact Anthony McGee - anthonym@rusi.org