Overview
- Officers at UK ports could require the removal of coats, jackets or gloves and inspect mouths for concealed SIM cards or small electronic devices.
- Immigration, police and National Crime Agency staff would be able to seize and search mobile phones at the border before any arrest to collect intelligence on routes and recruiters.
- Home Office sources said the same searches could apply to children if judged necessary and proportionate.
- Rights groups condemned the plan as invasive and harmful to traumatised asylum seekers, with Freedom from Torture calling mouth searches a "dystopian act of brutality."
- The powers are contained in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which reports say is expected to receive Royal Assent within days, with some outlets also reporting interim court orders to restrict suspects’ device use.