Border Crossing Rollout

The roll-out of Border Crossing (BX)

Detailing the progress so far with rolling out of Border Crossing, and the issues it has faced and is yet to face, along with advice to members who access it.

Background

In MB/054/20 PCS detailed the proposals for the third (and hopefully final) attempt to roll out Border Crossing (BX) nationwide. PCS met the DSAB team on 26 February 2021 to discuss how the roll-out was going, any issues that had arisen thus far.

Progress of the Roll-out

So far Border Crossing has rolled out to 12 ports, including Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bristol, Heathrow Terminals 2 and 5, Birmingham. Doncaster, and Robin Hood Airport. In the process it has dealt with over 100,000 passengers since roll-out. Numbers trained at each port is variable and ranges from around 85% in the bigger ports, but higher in smaller ports. Border Crossing is on course to be in place nationally by the deadline of 30 June 2021.

Problems So Far

• There have been several short outages of around 3 hours, though at the time of writing the system has been running consistently since early February without interruption. DSAB advise that teething problems are to be expected with any major IT project and point to the speed with which any problems have been resolved.
  

• Due to the current lockdown there are several ports that are closed to international traffic. Although the current plan allows for these to be supported in reopening before the end of June, it is entirely possible that this may change due to the prevailing pandemic, in which case a plan will be drawn up to support them going live with BX when services resume.
  

• Metis and its failings have created some training problems as some staff can’t get into their Metis Learn accounts at all. This problem has a projected resolution date of mid-March though given the current problems with Metis only time will tell if this deadline is met.
  

• There were instances at Heathrow of staff being reluctant to use BX. DSAB have said that in the first instance, members who have been trained but still have concerns about using the system, should seek support from their local Superusers. However once trained, staff are expected to use BX when and where it is available, and this would ultimately be seen as a reasonable management request.

Future Plans

• There are plans to make the Passenger Locator Forms data supplied by the passenger available on BX during April, though this will not do away with the need to complete COP returns on the Immigration Control (PCP).
  

• The system currently only operates between 8am and 8pm. DSAB plans to go to 24/7 coverage by the end of April.
  

• There are plans to make it possible to report some hits on the system, this is still in development and is scheduled for mid-2021. Eventually back office systems will move over to BX, but this is unlikely to be before late 2021.

Membership Feedback

In order to feed into the roll-out PCS needs updates from members of any issues with the system.

In fact one of the most important points DSAB wished us to stress to members was that they needed any faults in the system to be reported as soon as they were identified. Without fault reporting the system’s problems cannot be addressed, and this roll-out is a very rapid and dynamic one that requires feedback from the staff who use it. DSAB would like users to complete the feedback forms that will be distributed at ports after they go live. PCS can take membership concerns forwards to DSAB as well. So if you have any issues please notify a PCS representative or the authors of this briefing.

Kevin Mills (Assistant Group Secretary), Stephen Taylor (Assistant Group Secretary)