Working With IIP

BORDERS AND COASTGUARD AGENCY IS "WORKING WITH INVESTORS IN PEOPLE".

The Borders and Coastguard Agency have been awarded "Working with Investors in People" status, an Investors in People (IIP) certification that recognises the commitment made by an organisation to start working with best practice principles towards IIP accreditation. The Agency, now in its third year of operation, carried out a review of its operations at the airport, frontier and the port; the review highlighted a number of deficiencies, inherited by the Agency, which it is positively addressing; striving for a more professional, engaged and focused operation.

It has been working hard towards organisational improvement and development and by embarking on this journey is looking to manage those changes to meet performance objectives.

The Agency was assessed by IIP in December 2014 and has now, developed and is executing a plan to work with IIP's flexible management framework. The framework mirrors the business planning cycle (plan, do, review) making it clear for the organisation to follow and implement in its own planning cycle and is based on three main principles:

1. Plan – developing strategies to improve the performance of the organisation.

2. Do – taking action to improve the performance of the organisation.

3. Review – evaluating the impact of its investment in people on the performance of the organisation.

Formed in 1991, Investors in People was established by the UK Government to help organisations get the best from their people. The Standards remain at the cutting edge of people management excellence, and the accreditation is proudly held by over 15,000 organisations across 75 countries.

The certificate was presented by Dr Bill Snaith of Harrogate International Business School who is working with the Agency to achieve IIP accreditation. Dr Snaith has worked with a number of other Gibraltar organisations in both the public and private sectors, to achieve accreditation.

“It is very clear to me that by investing in our people we improve the performance of our organisation. Working with IIP is the first step of our journey which we are under no illusion will be hard, but it shows our commitment to the development and growth of our staff and indeed of our organisation. It is only by investing in our people that we can ensure we keep Gibraltar open for business, delivering an effective and efficient service of the high standard expected of us as a professional public body." said Andrew Bonfante the Chief Executive of the Borders and Coastguard Agency.

Photo Dr Bill Snaith presents the Working with IIP Certificate to Andrew Bonfante, Chief Executive of the Borders and Coastguard Agency in the presence of Officers of the Agency.

Background to the Borders and Coastguard Agency

The Agency, now in its third year of operation, carried out a review of its operations at the airport, frontier and the port; the review highlighted a number of deficiencies, inherited by the Agency, which it is positively addressing; striving for a more professional, engaged and focused operation.

The review also highlighted the need for professional development, training and management development in particular. The Government in its continued commitment to providing opportunities for professional development for all staff, is supporting the Agency in its effort to address this issue with this and enabling managers at different levels to work towards Chartered Management Institute professional development qualifications.

The agency is working hard to become the focal point for a more centralised immigration service in Gibraltar, working in partnership with other Government departments and Law Enforcement Agencies to improve the level of immigration service Gibraltar provides. In the last year alone the Agency has processed well over 12 million people at our borders. In addition, the Government’s initiative to introduce amendments to the Immigration, Asylum and Refugee Act, granting Tourist Visa Waivers to Moroccan, Russian, Chinese, Indian and Mongolian nationals in possession of Schengen visas, has proved extremely successful, and close to 7000 visitors, whom would otherwise not have been able to visit Gibraltar, have done so to date.

The Agency works very closely locally with the RGP, with whom it is currently operating in partnership a Ports Policing initiative. Further afield, it works closely and shares information with HMG’s Home Office, the UK Borderforce, Spain’s Policia Nacional, Interpol and more recently the Moroccan Immigration Service.

As part of the Government’s programme to make use of information and communication technology more generally, the Agency has been engaged together with other Law Enforcement partners and Government IT contractors in the setting up of a modern fit for purpose IT infrastructure platform for the frontier. The Frontier Management Project will be available to the public very soon; it will enable us to access real time frontier queue information including cameras, statistics and an improved and digitised frontier queue hotline service. In addition, the Agency is also developing its online presence with a Twitter feed and an interactive webpage which amongst other things will enable visitors to apply for visa waivers online, thus improving the visitor experience.

In addition to immigration duties, the Agency carries out aviation and maritime security duties at the airport and port, where it is inspected regularly by HMG’s Department for Transport to ensure compliance with strict EU legislation. These industries, particularly aviation, are highly regulated, and in order to protect the air and sea transportation of persons and goods, there are established common rules, applicable across the EU, which safeguard against acts of unlawful interference. The Agency continues to meet the high standards set by the DfT and the EU.

The Agency remains committed to improving the service it provides by maintaining a fluid and secure border and protecting against criminal acts that threaten the security of travel by enforcing the law in partnership with other law enforcement agencies, securing the confidence of traveler's, being more professional, engaged and focused and continuing to grow in line with Gibraltar's economic and social needs in order to keep our home safe and to keep Gibraltar open for business!