Border Kiosks a Success

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Nearly one million passengers have used the face scanning technology at Britain's airports, the UK Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, announced today.
 
He confirmed the figure while visiting the facial recognition kiosks at Gatwick Airport's North Terminal. More than 950,000 passengers have used the secure self-service gates which scan biometric details and then check them against a range of watch lists before allowing the passengers to enter the country.
 
The facial recognition gates offer legitimate passengers the choice between the traditional, staffed passport controls and the self-service gates. More than 50,000 passengers have used the gates at Gatwick since their introduction in August 2009.
 
The gates take seconds to scan each passenger's face against the digital photo recorded in their passport. If there is a match, the e-passport gates open, to allow the traveller across the border. The gates are staffed by UK Border Agency officers who examine any passengers rejected by the gate, as well as making manual checks where appropriate.
 
The technology has already proved popular and successful at Birmingham, Manchester, Stansted and Bristol Airports. Cardiff Airport has also recently had the self-service gates installed.
 
Speaking on his visit, Home Secretary Alan Johnson commented, "Facial recognition technology speeds up the passage of legitimate travellers through immigration control, allowing UK Border Agency officers to focus on high risk travellers and goods. Our investment in the latest technology, which I have seen here today at Gatwick, means we continue to be at the forefront of border security.”
 
"We have also introduced fingerprint visas, checking those wanting to enter the UK against immigration and crime databases, and compulsory ID cards for foreign nationals. In addition, the e-Borders system allows the UK Border Agency to count people in and out of the country and target terrorist suspects, criminals and would-be illegal immigrants before they can reach the UK.”
 
Andy Flower, managing director for London Gatwick Airport, added, “The introduction of the e-Passport system at London Gatwick Airport will provide a more efficient process for passengers entering the country. The Home Office has enhanced the use of technology which will help speed people through immigration controls, whilst keeping our borders safe and secure.”