Border Agency breaks Civil Service Code

The U.K. Border Agency is subject to disciplinary action for contravening The Civil Service Code which is now set in law. Demand is escalating for officials responsible for behaving without integrity to be disciplined or sacked because they failed to follow The Code as part of their conditions of employment. Immigration officials are routinely abusing their authority and here is one example of public servants contravening The Code.

Reference

New Zealander Matthew and South African Philip were unlawfully detained and deported in March after a dramatic swoop on their boat in the port by immigration officials and police.

Issue

Officials from The Border Agency have contravened Section 6 of the Civil Service Code by acting without 'Integrity '.

Officials are required by The Code to act in a way that is professional and retains the confidence of all those with whom they have dealings. They are also required to deal with the public and their affairs fairly, efficiently, promptly, effectively and sensitively. The Civil Service Code sets out the core Civil Service values and the standards of behaviour expected of all civil servants, including:-

• Integrity – putting the obligations of public service above personal interests

• Honesty – being truthful and open

• Objectivity – basing advice and decisions on rigorous analysis of the evidence

• Impartiality – acting solely according to the merits of the case and serving governments of different political parties equally well

Background

On or about the 17th of March 2011 members of the agency acting in the Weymouth area, unlawfully detained and subsequently deported two British Commonwealth citizens (named above) who were traveling around the U.K. and northern Europe in a privately owned New Zealand sailboat. When an American friend of theirs came down to see why they were being unlawfully detained, he too was unlawfully and unfairly arrested and detained overnight. Matthew and Philip were subsequently deported to their countries of origin only with the clothes they stood up in and without enough money to live on. They were also made homeless by this action because the boat is their home and it currently remains abandoned in UK.

The officials knew what they were doing was unlawful and unfair, which is why they chose not to classify their actions officially as a "deportation" but instead redefined what they did as an "administrative removal" which forced the two travelers to abandon their sailboat and sent them half way around the world without giving them the opportunity to appeal the unlawful action until they were back in their countries of origin.

Expected Outcome

• That Matthew and Philip are re-united with their boat which is their home , properly re-imbursed and allowed to continue their journey

• That the officials responsible are disciplined or sacked for contravening The Civil Service Code.

The Civil Service Code, which is enforced and monitored by The Civil Service Commission, seems set to clean up the acts of civil servants who abuse their power and do not act in the public best interest.