To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines her Department has issued to immigration officers on dealing with members of the public who become violent or abusive while passing through immigration control. (193126)

Two new offences relating to assaulting an immigration officer have been introduced and come into force on 31 January 2008. Section 3 of the UK Borders Act 2007 introduces new offences where a person assaults or obstructs a designated immigration officer in the exercise of Section 2 of the UK Borders Act. Section 22 of the same act creates an offence of assaulting an immigration officer. Guidance on both of these new offences has been circulated to all Border Control operational staff.

Further guidance is available to Home Office staff on reducing the risk of violence at work and working alone in safety. This guidance supplements training which immigration officers undertake during their operational service. Local risk assessments are used to determine the appropriate level of Personal Safety Training (PST) required by immigration officers.