passports

[hannah333]

I'm sure that they know what they are doing, but does anyone else who has been through passport control think that it seems like a total waste of time in that they just glance at the page? I even have a friend who travelled on her husband's spare passport (for the record she looks nothing like him) by accident once, but didnt realise until she got home - she could have been anyone. I agree that a passport makes good ID to the authorities whilst you are abroad, but as for preventing unwanted people from travelling into the country, do they really serve the purpose? It just seems it would be so easy for anyone to travel on a fake passport. Can anyone shead any light on this?

[Andyvon]

I've noticed at airports that Customs are quite vigilant with passports. I have often felt quite self-conscious when they study me and the picture so they do check. They often scan the passport too - I think to check it is genuine and that I'm not a wanted man (well, at least not by them!). Eurostar seem to be quite vigilant too. I suppose it may depend on where you go Hannah.

I have had real concerns about coach trips abroad. I've been on several day trips, or longer holidays, and we always travel through Dover on the ferry. It is quite unusual for anyone to check our passports and they often just wave the coach through without stopping as it is one of many.
That's also the case coming back from Calais. My wife and I often notice that anyone could have sneaked onto the coach in Calais - especially if someone goes across on the coach and then returns as a foot passenger. The coach numbers would be the same as the driver just calls out the number of passengers he is returning with and the coach is waved through.

It's also obvious how easy it would be to smuggle drugs/guns etc. Most people buy tobacco and drink abroad as well as clothes etc. But there is nothing to stop someone meeting a drug courier in Calais and then bringing back bags of drugs on the coach. Especially if they are wrapped as tobacco. No one ever seems to check bags or passports and the coaches are just waved through full of people and bags. When it's been mentioned to the coach company, they say that Customs are too busy and understaffed.

Airports don't seem too bad for checks but most people on coaches say that the UK border controls are a joke - and they are. Someone with a fake passport would be very unlucky to be caught and so would someone with drugs or weapons.

[MrBen5]

I totally agree with you hannah. I went on holiday last year and it only got glanced at. It was 2 years out of date too.lol. But, to be fair to the security forces, they already know the people who they need to look out for. Passports are so easy to forge and get hold of. You will never stop terrorists, but you can stop the illegal immigrants. I am all for this identity card , which will hold all your details,if it ever comes about...

[jake-the-peg]

They're more interested in scanning the passport's bar code to see if you turn up on the database for anything.

It's very difficult for a person to pick out whether an old picture is that person or not.

If there is anything suspicious about you found on the database or your passport looks like it's been tamperred with you're likely to be taken off and photographed.

A machine will then compare your picture with the one in the passport and will take measurements between eyes, nose chin etc and build a set of relative measurements.

In this way the system can determine whether you are or are not the person in the picture regardless of whether you've changed over the years.

[samuel23]

Went to the Dom republic last year and mixed the passports up with my partner. Only realised the mistake when I went to board the Eurostar train at Ashford