Passport control on Tube
By Luke David, Evening Standard
9 August 2004

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/a...source=Evening

Immigration officers are questioning Tube travellers because they sound
"foreign", the Evening Standard has learned.

Thousands of passengers are being stopped in a secret operation using
tactics the police are specifically forbidden from deploying. Immigration
officers are stopping anyone they consider to look or sound foreign and
asking them to produce their papers to prove their right to British
residence.

Their aim is uncover illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers. The
discovery that these tactics are being used prompted a political row today.
The Liberal Democrats are set to write to the Home Secretary demanding an
explanation for a scheme civilrights groups dubbed "Stalinist".

The existence of the spot-check operation has been kept secret by the Home
Office but an Evening Standard investigation discovered that teams of
immigration officers have been carrying out the procedures since May 2003.

It is part of a wider programme in which 1,000 suspected illegal immigrants
have been detained.

During one operation witnessed by the Evening Standard, a series of people
getting off Tube trains were stopped by immigration officers dressed in body
armour and carrying handcuffs.

The officer in charge said people were picked out for questioning if they
sounded foreign.

Immigration officer Emma Cromack said: "If you hear someone speaking a
language that's not European we approach them and ask 'do you mind if I ask
you what nationality you are?'

SNIP rest of story - which surprisingly makes no reference to the fact that
the London is full of legitimate tourists, many of whom use the UndergrounD
frequently and extensively

Regards,

- Alan (in Brussels - mind the spamtrap)

great escapeYour papers please/great escape

Perhaps they'll wish them a "gutten tag" or whatever too.
--
Everything above is the personal opinion of the author, and nothing to do
with where he works and all that lovely disclaimery stuff.
Posted in his lunch hour too.

"Alan (in Brussels)" wrote in message
news
Passport control on Tube
By Luke David, Evening Standard
9 August 2004

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/a...source=Evening

Immigration officer Emma Cromack said: "If you hear someone speaking a
language that's not European we approach them and ask 'do you mind if I
ask
you what nationality you are?"

Hmm, how would they know that a language is "not European"? On the
Piccadilly Line on Saturday (Hounslow West to Hammersmith) I was sitting
opposite a father and daughter who were speaking a language I didn't
recognise. As both were fair-skinned and the little girl was blonde, I
assume that they were European and speaking a European language (unless they
were testing their knowledge of Swahili). What about Turkish (or Russian)
where speakers may be European or Asian?

Alan Harrison

In article , "Alan (in Brussels)"
writes
Thousands of passengers are being stopped in a secret operation using
tactics the police are specifically forbidden from deploying. Immigration
officers are stopping anyone they consider to look or sound foreign and
asking them to produce their papers to prove their right to British
residence.
[...]
The officer in charge said people were picked out for questioning if they
sounded foreign.

Is it me, or is there a major flaw in this: most people with a right to
British residence *won't carry* any such papers?

I can think of exactly one document I hold that can prove that right,
and that's my passport. After an unfortunate incident a few years ago, I
carry it with me most of the time, but I know I'm unusual in this -
certainly the rest of my family only carry them when going abroad.

So if my "foreign-looking" daughter decides to study Japanese A-level
(yes, her school does offer it) and to practice with one of her
classmates on a trip to the smoke, she could get arrested?!?

Immigration officer Emma Cromack said: "If you hear someone speaking a
language that's not European

I bet the average immigration officer doesn't know what most European
languages sound like. [How many are there? I lost count somewhere around
40, and I'm excluding things like Bengali that are spoken by many
Britons but are not traditionally counted.]

This country gets more like the old USSR or DDR every time I blink.

--
Clive D.W. Feather | Home:
Tel: +44 20 8495 6138 (work) | Web: http://www.davros.org
Fax: +44 870 051 9937 | Work:
Please reply to the Reply-To address, which is:

On Mon, 09 Aug 2004 17:42:29 -0600, Hatunen wrote:

On Mon, 9 Aug 2004 20:38:42 +0000 (UTC), "Alan Harrison"
wrote:


"Alan (in Brussels)" wrote in message
news
Passport control on Tube
By Luke David, Evening Standard
9 August 2004

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/a...source=Evening

Immigration officer Emma Cromack said: "If you hear someone speaking a
language that's not European we approach them and ask 'do you mind if I
ask
you what nationality you are?"

Hmm, how would they know that a language is "not European"? On the
Piccadilly Line on Saturday (Hounslow West to Hammersmith) I was sitting
opposite a father and daughter who were speaking a language I didn't
recognise. As both were fair-skinned and the little girl was blonde, I
assume that they were European and speaking a European language (unless they
were testing their knowledge of Swahili). What about Turkish (or Russian)
where speakers may be European or Asian?

Finn, Estonian and Hungaian don't sound a bit "European"

Well they do. Just define than as sounding like a language that's spoken in
Europe.
Actually, when spoken in a group I think Finnish sounds like Italian, but
without and words that I can recognise.
--
Tim C.

"Alan Harrison" wrote in message ...
"Clive D. W. Feather" wrote in message
...

I bet the average immigration officer doesn't know what most European
languages sound like. [How many are there? I lost count somewhere around
40, and I'm excluding things like Bengali that are spoken by many
Britons but are not traditionally counted.]

Just what I thought on Saturday. Travelling on the Piccadilly Line I was
sitting opposite a father and daughter who were speaking a language I
certainly didn't recognise and which I assume to be European. I make that
assumption on the basis that both were blond and blue-eyed.

There is an ethnic group on the west coast of India who look pretty
much north European.


This country gets more like the old USSR or DDR every time I blink.

Overstatement, Clive, but we ceratinly seem to be moving towards an ugly
authoritarianism.

'Today' tells me today that Blunkett wants to make *all* offences
arrestable... but of course we needn't worry because there will be a
'necessity' test.

--
Larry Lard
Replies to group please

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 17:50:08 +0100, Clive D. W. Feather wrote:

Is it me, or is there a major flaw in this: most people with a right to
British residence *won't carry* any such papers?

Passport? EU citizens still have to carry a passport with them at all times
(or a photocopy, at least) don't they? The same applies for other
foreigners. They should have some form of ID.

UK citizens don't, of course, and there's the rub. You could just say
you're British. You just need a convincing British accent of some sort to
avoid being dragged away and beaten about the ankles with a haddock.
--
Tim C.

"LarryLard" wrote in message
om...

There is an ethnic group on the west coast of India who look pretty
much north European.

Are they directly descended from hippies who just never left? ;-)

K

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 at 11:35:34, Tim Challenger
wrote:

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 17:50:08 +0100, Clive D. W. Feather wrote:

Is it me, or is there a major flaw in this: most people with a right to
British residence *won't carry* any such papers?

Passport? EU citizens still have to carry a passport with them at all times
(or a photocopy, at least) don't they? The same applies for other
foreigners. They should have some form of ID.

EU citizens usually have an ID card, so don't need their passports.

UK citizens don't, of course, and there's the rub. You could just say
you're British. You just need a convincing British accent of some sort to
avoid being dragged away and beaten about the ankles with a haddock.

"Ey-up, chook....."
--
Annabel - "Mrs Redboots"
(trying out a new .sig to reflect the personality I use in online forums)

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 12:11:21 +0100, Annabel Smyth wrote:

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 at 11:35:34, Tim Challenger
wrote:

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 17:50:08 +0100, Clive D. W. Feather wrote:

Is it me, or is there a major flaw in this: most people with a right to
British residence *won't carry* any such papers?

Passport? EU citizens still have to carry a passport with them at all times
(or a photocopy, at least) don't they? The same applies for other
foreigners. They should have some form of ID.

EU citizens usually have an ID card, so don't need their passports.

Some do, some don't. Either way it's a valid document that shows they are
not nickable.

UK citizens don't, of course, and there's the rub. You could just say
you're British. You just need a convincing British accent of some sort to
avoid being dragged away and beaten about the ankles with a haddock.

"Ey-up, chook....."

The Not The Nine O'Clock News sketch with Constable Savage doing the "nice
and nasty" routine comes to mind.

--
Tim C.