Uk borders agency - is this a record?

" (1) ...., where there are reasonable grounds to suspect ......... "

the phrase above should mean that these provisions do not apply to random searches
 
theforeman said:
" (1) ...., where there are reasonable grounds to suspect ......... "

the phrase above should mean that these provisions do not apply to random searches
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May I refer you to the quoted reason for the searches which went along the lines of "Ah, but you don't look like someone who should have a yacht"

Was OP Asian, black or muslim then? Or simply too young? These tend to be the categories that were predominantly stopped & searched by friendly fuzz in our recent past.
 
Skents said:
We have just had our seventh visit of the year from the rubber suited boys and girls of the UK Borders Agency and we are rapidly losing our sense of humour! . . . . . why call on the same innocent family on the same boat seven times in a year if they are keeping proper records?
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You are liveaboards who have obviously been 'seen' and 'clocked' during your 2006 season in the West Indies.

Another thing which will attract attention is whether you hang your washing over the rails or generally keep a 'tidy ship'. Possibly someone in your estuary wants to make your 'stay' in your anchorage as difficult as possible and have hinted to the UKBA to 'turn you over' and 'rummage'? :rolleyes:
 
Boarding!

03.00 Inbound from Flushing, about 10m inside the Sunk LV, large searchlight from vessel on beam, and Rib bouncing towards us, as they came alongside, tuned hard to to port, and called Thames Coastguard on 16, Some prat is trying to board & I can't see who cos' they have a f--k--g light in my eyes, Light goes out! and VHF call made asking permission to come aboard....said if they must! otherwise wait until we get into Brightlingsea....One guy came aboard, had a look @ passports et al & went.....
 
The excuse we have been given is that even though they work from the same mothership, they change crews and aren't aware of what their colleagues have done in the past. It wears a bit thin when you actually recognise the same faces on more than one occasion.

As it is November, we are hoping they will leave us alone until next season at least. In 2010 we will welcome the first UKBA team and after that we will ask them to sign their names in our log book and also video/photograph their visits.

They have seen our passports, our ships papers and even the contents of our son's underpants locker..... I don't see why we shouldn't know a bit about them.
 
Skents said:
The excuse we have been given is that even though they work from the same mothership, they change crews and aren't aware of what their colleagues have done in the past. It wears a bit thin when you actually recognise the same faces on more than one occasion.

As it is November, we are hoping they will leave us alone until next season at least. In 2010 we will welcome the first UKBA team and after that we will ask them to sign their names in our log book and also video/photograph their visits.

They have seen our passports, our ships papers and even the contents of our son's underpants locker..... I don't see why we shouldn't know a bit about them.
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(Let me declare an interest; my wife was not born in Britain and we may not look much like the sort of people who "ought" to own a blue water boat, either..)

What they told you amounts to an admission that they are not keeping proper records of what they do.

I think I'm going to buy something I've always despised - a yacht visitor's book...
 
Minn said:
(Let me declare an interest; my wife was not born in Britain and we may not look much like the sort of people who "ought" to own a blue water boat, either..)

What they told you amounts to an admission that they are not keeping proper records of what they do.

I think I'm going to buy something I've always despised - a yacht visitor's book...
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Just ask them to sign the Ship's Log Book and also to give you a document that shows you have been checked, by whom and the time and date.

French Customs will always give a 'fiche' when asked, a simple slip of paper to present if stopped again on the same trip. We have always asked for these in France and they have been readily given. Often the next year they have seen the 'fiche', kept with our registration papers, and have remarked that they saw us last year and it was the same boat and crew.
 
Perhaps we could ship these "eager beavers" off to Somalia and get the "stand and watch" crews into UK waters...

Although I suppose it's less dangerous to have "reasonable suspicion" than to confront AK47s. What a shower!
 
39 mph in a 30 zone is quite serious offending. I feel that you should try not to draw further attention to yourselves by posting on public forums such as this one, in an endeavor to elicit sympathetic responses.
CJ
 
Robin said:
Just ask them to sign the Ship's Log Book and also to give you a document that shows you have been checked, by whom and the time and date.

French Customs will always give a 'fiche' when asked, a simple slip of paper to present if stopped again on the same trip. We have always asked for these in France and they have been readily given. Often the next year they have seen the 'fiche', kept with our registration papers, and have remarked that they saw us last year and it was the same boat and crew.
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The visitors book sounds a good idea and then give a H&S briefing. Need to have a form to sign saying that they have understood the briefing and that their PPE (personal protective equipment) is suitable for a small vessel !
 
Skents said:
We are a husband and wife with a teenage son on board ....
They have seen our passports, our ships papers and even the contents of our son's underpants locker
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This might sound daft, but I told your story today to an acquaintence of mine who has recently retired from 30 years in the Met. At the mention of your teenage son being on board, he immediately said that is probably why they keep stopping and boarding you!

Now I'm not suggesting in the slightest that your son does any kind of drugz, soft or otherwise, but the supposition on the part of the borderz agenzy could be that - being a teenager - he might have a teeny-weeny bit of something or other for personal use in his possession. Whilst on the streets this might be no big deal (so commonplace in fact that the polize in the end persuaded the govt to lower the classification of canabiz in the hope that the problem would stop wasting their time), it might be a wholly different case on the water...? Imagine the attention-grabbing, self-justifying headline: 'Borderz Agenzy in Drugz Seizure'

Just a thought.
 
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Boat44 said:
We will certainly be asking for their ID before I allow them to board, a record of there vist and a few pics for the family album :)

But I bet (and I don't usually bet but I would on this) that they are on targets of some sort.
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Almost certainly on 'performance indicators'

I'm surprised they don't have to leave some sort of paperwork. the police have to fill in forms in triplicate just for talking to people! There again, the customs have always had more intrusive powers of entry and search.

BTW, in the Serious And Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) the ex-customs men tend to be young in servise and think the ex-police are all bent, possibly because that is still a popular training scenario for them, while the ex-police, who tend to be experienced detectives, view the ex-customs as in-experienced amatures.
 
Skents said:
The excuse we have been given is that even though they work from the same mothership, they change crews and aren't aware of what their colleagues have done in the past. It wears a bit thin when you actually recognise the same faces on more than one occasion.
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Remember you have seen them 7 times. How many other yachtsmen have they seen in that time? Do you really expect them to remember you? Unless of course there is something that 'flags' you or your boat.

I will make no comment on record keeping!

PW
 
PilotWolf said:
Remember you have seen them 7 times. How many other yachtsmen have they seen in that time? Do you really expect them to remember you? Unless of course there is something that 'flags' you or your boat.

I will make no comment on record keeping!

PW
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If they are experienced law enforcement officers, then if they dont recognise a boat that they have stopped several times, they surely are in the wrong job!........I am sure that police officers would remember stopping the same person several times......dont you?
 
And besides, Blue Iguana is a very distinctive vessel - very different in appearance to a standard Benjenbav type AWB.
A policeman might not necessarily remember stopping every bog standard Mondeo (or whatever the most popular car is now in Britain), but probably would remember stopping a car that stands out from the crowd (Rolls Royce? A Van de Stadt 40 is probably less common than a Roller).
And surely their first move would be to tap in details into their wee lap top (assuming they have one on board?) and seeing if / when this vessel had been stopped before?

"Oh, we have already visited these folk 7 times so far this year, come on boys, lets go and chalk up our 8th visit now. Beware of the weapons of mass destruction that you will find on board in the young lad's cabin....... Good luck!" :D

Or maybe they have had a look at the construction photos of Blue Iguana on the Iguana's website, and they want to go and find out more - she certainly is a very fine vessel indeed, and a credit to her Builders. :)
 
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