‘Dad’s Army’ border volunteers to be barred from front line

A “DAD’S Army” of unpaid border guards would be barred from front-line roles after warnings that the plans were “farcical”.

The Government was considering a new “Special Volunteer Force” to help the Border Force police the UK’S 7,000 miles of coastline.

However, after a backlash by MPS, The Daily Telegraph understands that ministers will insist that volunteers do not adopt roles such as patrolling the coast or carrying out checks on vessels.

Instead, volunteers would bolster existing staffing levels in a similar way to police community support officers.

The Home Office confirmed proposals for “Border Force Special Volunteers” to be deployed at some of the smaller air and seaports were being discussed by officials. A spokesman said: “We are clear that volunteers would only ever be used to supplement existing Border Force activity and not as a replacement for permanent officers, thereby adding to Border Force’s capacity to conduct checks and keep the country safe.”

Charlie Elphicke, the MP for Dover, told The Mail on Sunday: “Border security is a skilled job, which takes many years of training. I would urge great caution before seeking to adopt a model like that used by the police.”