Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what policing powers Border Force personnel hold.

Border Force immigration officers and designated customs officials in England and Wales may utilise some powers set out in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 as applied by The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Application to immigration officers and designated customs officials in England and Wales) Order 2013.

In Northern Ireland, Border Force immigration officers and designated customs officials may utilise some powers set out in The Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 as applied by The Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (Application to Immigration Officers and Designated Customs Officials in Northern Ireland) and Consequential Amendments Regulations 2026.

In Scotland, The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2018 applies relevant provisions from the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 to Border Force immigration officers and designated customs officials.

Additionally, section 2 of the UK Borders Act 2007 provides a power for designated immigration officers in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland to detain an individual they think are subject to a warrant for arrest or may be liable to arrest by a constable under certain sections of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, or the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, or the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, subject to a certificate under section 74B of the Extradition Act 2003. Designated immigration officers may detain such individuals for up to three hours pending the arrival of a constable.