The proposal announced by the Government in July to establish a 'unified border force' for the UK struck a resonant chord with SITPRO. Although the focus of the proposal is aimed at movements of people (i.e. passengers), and driven by security concerns, the idea of better border agency co-ordination with regard to the import and export of goods is something that SITPRO has been calling for over many years.
Close co-ordination between border agencies is central to the success of initiatives such as the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) and the UK International Trade Single Window programmes. The same applies in many of the countries we have visited around the world, such as the Boksburg Group meeting SITPRO organised in Zambia last year, where there are 11 border agencies. Compare this with, say, Canada which established the Canada Border Services Agency back in 2003, modelled on US Customs and Border Protection.
SITPRO issued a statement in July to the effect that we feel that a unified approach, achieved one way or another, through real closer working between the Departments concerned, would help towards creating a more efficient trading environment and reduce the regulatory burden on traders. I am glad that our friends at the British International Forwarders Association (BIFA) have joined us in issuing a similar statement (Link to an external site - Disclaimer 
). We look forward to working with BIFA and other like-minded bodies in contributing to the consultation that is currently taking place.
Return to SITPRO News: Issue 61, Summer 2007
