Border Force Overview

Border Force is the part of the Home Office responsible for securing the UK border 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by enforcing immigration and customs regulations.

Around 10,000 people work for Border Force, with the majority working in frontline roles in airports and seaports across the UK and overseas. Some officers will work at only one location, while others are mobile, working across a number of ports or other locations in a region.

Our work includes checking all passengers and freight arriving in the UK by air and sea and conducting intelligence-led searches for drugs, cash, tobacco, alcohol, firearms, offensive weapons, prohibited goods and counterfeit goods.

We also support the wider department on high-profile issues such as counter terrorism, organised crime, tackling modern slavery and human trafficking. This is some of the most important and challenging work in Government, and its impact can be felt in communities across the UK.

A female Border Force employee speaks with her male colleague

The nature of the work we do and the locations we work at means that officers are sometimes required to operate in difficult and pressurised environments where priorities change quickly and where flexibility is key.

Role Overview