According to several travel operators and opposition parties in the UK government, the recently deployed electronic border controls, ‘e-Borders’, are not reliable.

Ministers had earlier informed the public that the e-Borders system will check 95 per cent of passenger activities by the end of 2010, but ferry companies and Eurostar told Sky News that they have not agreed a deal with the UK Border Agency yet over the electronic screening system.

The UK Government informed that e-Borders is the country’s forefront to keep the country secured from terrorism and illegal immigration. The advanced system works by electronically checking the details of an air traveller against the UK’s watch list.

Since e-Border’s introduction in May 2009, over 2,000 wanted suspects have been caught at UK airports, with 10 of them being accused of murder, and nearly 40 people trying to escape from sexual assault or rape charges. However, the main target of e-Borders is to catch terrorists.

But at present, only half of all airport passenger movements are being watched by e-Borders. The UK Government defended that the system is expected to completely monitor all terminal traffic by 2014, with the 95 per cent target to be reached by the end 2010.

Tim Reardon, from the Chamber of Shipping, however disagrees with electronic border controls, saying that it would rather cause extra disruption, hassle and cost for cruise passengers for no benefit whatsoever. e-Borders  has also encountered a legal problem with the European Commission’s 2009 decision that EU passengers are not obliged to give personal details in advance. The ruling further added that any such scheme within EU’s borders must be undertaken on a voluntary basis.