He could keep people in, but failed at keeping them out

Wednesday 09 November 2011

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Border controls Brodie Clark excelled in the Prison Service, but found border control rather trickier, reports Richard Ford

He switched, apparently effortlessly, from running top-security prisons to posts in Whitehall, where his operational experience was invaluable when drawing up policies for the jails.

Born in Glasgow, Mr Clark has a reputation as a hard taskmaster who does not suffer fools. One person who worked closely with him in the Prison Service said: "He is not a warm and cuddly character." Another said: "He is a perfectly pleasant Scot, assertive in manner and in the way he dealt with people." Others speak of a principled man from the tough background of prisons who is also humane.

Mr Clark, 60, who said last night that his position as head of the UK Border Agency had been made untenable, has a reputation for detail and getting things done, and for getting the best out of his staff. It was those skills that impressed many of the men and women who worked alongside him.

Martin Narey, a former director-general of the Prison Service, said that when Mr Clark worked for him, he had been a man who would never cut corners.

"The thing about Brodie Clark is that he is meticulous to the nth degree. When he worked for me I thought he was outstanding," Mr Narey said.

Mr Clark joined the Prison Service in 1973, spending 31 years in an organisation with a "command and control" ethos and whose upper ranks were dominated by men. His first brush with national publicity was in 1994 when six men, including five members of the IRA, escaped from the special secure unit within Whitemoor prison in Cambridgeshire.

An official report into the escape said: "So many things were wrong, so many procedures and policies totally ignored and with such regularity, that the escape could have taken place on any day of the week with the same chance of success. At times it was difficult to find something being done in accordance with the manuals."

Mr Clark escaped blame for the fiasco because he had been Governor at the jail for only a few weeks. His task became to rebuild a management team at the jail and restore the shattered morale of staff. "He cleared up the mess. He was one of the Prison Service's most outstanding governors," one woman said.

Once that task was complete, Mr Clark moved to Prison Service headquarters as director of the top-security jails in England and Wales and then became director of security for jails. Although his job in prisons had meant that he mixed with men who had committed serious crimes and were serving life sentences, the experience did not corrode his belief in ensuring that prisoners were treated with decency. He immersed himself in the drive to reduce suicides in jails through making cells safer.

Mr Clark raised awareness among staff and got ligature points removed from cells in an effort to cut the number of incidents of self-harm.

"One of the reasons there are fewer suicides in jails is because of work done by Brodie Clark," Mr Narey said.

One woman who worked alongside Mr Clark said last night: "Yes, he did come from a background of command and control, but he knew how to get the best out of people."

Mr Clark moved on to the Home Office, where he joined the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, working in a number of senior posts under Lin Homer, the chief executive until this year.

While his previous jobs had been about preventing people getting out, at the UK Border Agency his key task was supposed to be preventing illegal migrants and criminals getting into the country.

How events unfolded

JANUARY 2011 Options for pilot scheme to allow immigration officers to ease border controls so they focused on high risk passengers put to Damian Green, immigration minister and Baroness Neville-Jones, then security minister

APRIL Proposals for the risk based approach put to Theresa May, the Home Secretary. She requests further work

JULY Pilot scheme launched after approval by Theresa May

JULY 28 UK border Agency issued interim operational instruction to all UK ports and airports stating "We will cease: routinely opening the chip within EEA national passports, routinely checking all EEA nationals under 18 against warnings index when they are part of school party or in clear family unit"

JULY 29 Pilot scheme to mid September launched. Gave immigration officers discretion under limited circumstances not to check children travelling with parents or with school parties against warnings index. Officers also had discretion in not to open biometric chip on passports of EEA nationals

Border Agency issued document on control pressures to staff at Heathrow airport.

States that with immediate effect they will stop opening chips on EU passports, stop swiping EU children's passports if they are in school group or clearly travelling with their family and stop routinely asking questions of visa holders

SEPTEMBER 19 Pilot scheme extended until Friday November 4

NOVEMBER 2 John Vine, chief inspector of UK Border Agency alerts Robert Whiteman, chief executive of UK Border Agency, about inconsistencies in the operation of controls at Heathrow Terminal 3

NOVEMBER 3 Mr Whiteman speaks with Brodie Clark, director border force UKBA, and takes decision to suspend Mr Clark. Two other UK Border Agency officials suspended

10.30am Theresa May informed of the suspension

Pilot scheme and unauthorised relaxation of controls on non EEA nationals ended

NOVEMBER 5 Newspapers break news of the fiasco

NOVEMBER 7 Mrs May makes statement to MPs. Mr Clarke, left, resigns Heathrow Airport 2010 Total arrivals 21.7m (1.1m Domestic) EU 8.7m Non EU 11.8m Source: BAA UK passenger arrivals 2010 Total 101.5m EEA* 89m British Citizens 60.9m Other EEA and Swiss Nationals 28.1m Non EEA 12.5m Source: ONS *European Economic Area