Britain’s counter-terror database experiences frequent crashes

A counter-terror database designed to prevent criminals and extremists from entering Britain undetected, breaks down twice a week on average, and is expected to cost £275 million to repair, a report has found.

The computer program was launched in 2003, with the aim of monitoring each person travelling to and from Britain. So far, the project has cost £830 million to run, and further maintenance is thought to require another £275 million, according to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO).

The report found that the database named ‘warning index’, suffers two high-priority incidents per week on average, forcing frontline staff to rely on incomplete intelligence. The news has raised concerns that the likelihood of terrorists entering borders unnoticed is increasing.

Furthermore, data shows a replacement project, ‘e-borders’ is failing to track 17 million people traveling to Britain annually. Overall, the technology successfully tracks 86 per cent of the annual 118 million in-bound travelers, however it was intended to cover 95 per cent by the end of 2010.

While data collected for outbound journeys is at 100 per cent, the study reported the Home Office was still not receiving inbound passport data from most ferry and rail passengers.

The NAO report said deliver plans for e-borders were ’too ambitious to be achievable’, while there were ‘unrealistic assumptions’ about programme which requires more than 600 air, ferry and rail carriers to supply data.

The NAO expressed concerns that the overall cost of the project could spiral to at east £1 billion.

Commons’ Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz insisted the project was a ‘waste of money.’

He said: “Ministers and senior officials at the Home Office under successive governments have resisted telling Parliament of the true extent of taxpayer-funded mistakes in undertaking this program. This has been a £1 billion waste of money. The real concern is the warnings index, which with two priority incidents a week is still clearly unfit for purpose. A failure to properly cover millions of people entering the country without having passenger information in advance gives a green light to people who wish to come to the UK for illegal or dangerous activity.”

The report outlines that a high turnover of staff on the programme was partly responsible for causing the issues.

The Home Office admitted it should have been ‘even more critical in highlighting probable failure.’

Mark Serwotka, head of the Public Commercial Services Union (PCS) which represents border agency employees, said the report proved that technology was failing to provide an alternative to staff and urged the government to rethink plans for cuts in staffing levels.

He said: “We have consistently said for years that the border agency and Home Office do not have enough staff and that technology is no substitute. Further budget cuts announced by the chancellor in the autumn statement will inevitably lead to more job losses, which will only compound the problem.”

Defending the programme, the home office immigration minister James Brokenshire said that since 2010, the government has stabilised the “crucial but old-fashioned systems” to tackle terrorism and crime. From 2010, the Home Office commissioned successor programmes to e-borders including the border systems programme and the digital services at the border programme.

Brokenshire said: “As highlighted by the report, we have invested heavily in upgrading and adapting our systems, including a £23m investment in the warnings index technology which is operating at a higher capacity and level of assurance than ever before.”

“Every passenger arriving in the UK is checked against a range of watchlists. The border systems portfolio, in conjunction with a range of programmes across security and law enforcement, is working effectively to keep our citizens safe and our country secure. The new programme has already delivered a number of improvements and will continue to do so over the next three years.”