The Border Force and Immigration Enforcement Long Service and Good Conduct Medal

[bigjarofwasps]

The Border Force and Immigration Enforcement Long Service and Good Conduct Medal is awarded under strict eligibility criteria. Staff who retired before the 1st January 2022 are unfortunately not eligible. The 1st January 2022 date was chosen to coincide with the receipt of the Royal Warrant of Appointment in June 2021.

 

Edited March 19 by bigjarofwasps

[bigjarofwasps]

Eligibility criteria - 


https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ ... sponse.pdf

 

[bigjarofwasps]

Further information has come to

light which might be of interest?
 

Apparently there is no E11R version of this medal, all recipients will received a C111R regardless of whether they qualified under E11R. 

Also there is another presentation ceremony scheduled in for the 1st May.

[Megan]

Anyone know where it sits in the order of wear?

[bigjarofwasps]

16 hours ago, Megan said:

Anyone know where it sits in the order of wear?

Information concerning this award, is pretty much nonexistent, to say the least!

Curious also how it isn’t even mentioned in the October 23, effigy announcement by gov.uk?

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/six- ... e-revealed

[Megan]

Wonder how obscure they intend to go with long service medals? Armed forces and emergency services make sense... but now it seems that everyone and his dog gets one!

 

Who's next? Civil Servants? Teachers? Refuse collectors? Letter carriers?

[Tom King]

Not sure what makes you think this is obscure?

 

Border Force and Immigration Enforcement are government uniformed law enforcement officers, yes by virtue of the UK system they are civil servants. As are Prison Officers and HM Coastguard. Most countries around the world recognise their customs and law enforcement officials and have done so for many years including Commonwealth countries such as Canada and Australia.Your attitude seems to reflect what's so wrong with the medals and honours system in the UK, you seem to think recognition of service is only deserving of the military or at a push  the 'emergency services' ( more media driven nonsensical terminology). I am not even going down the celebrity, sports establishment honours.

 

Why are they undeserving of a long service reward ? Long time overdue in my opinion, for the low paid, at times difficult and sometimes dangerous job they do.  UK Border Force regularly deploy overseas and have deployed in most major conflict zones where there has been emergency evacuations of British Citizens.  They have huge pressures 24/7 dealing with maritime issues in the English channel. Not an easy job dealing with desperate people in dangerous waters, that often ends in tragedy. Immigration Enforcement often work in difficult inner city areas doing a job that is challenging, whilst being vilified by sections of the media and politicians. It's not just sitting at an airport desk asking for a passport, which in itself is a job that at times leaves them subject to verbal and physical abuse. Your comments sadly show your ignorance or are intentionally disingenuous. 

[Megan]

They are no more deserving than others who do not get such recognition - e.g., the letter carriers and refuse collectors who provide essential and often poorly-paid services to the public.

 

In many nations there are more general 'long service' awards that people who have spent a long time in ANY job are eligible to apply for, they don't even have to be in public service. Maybe that is a better route to go down.

 

And please moderate your tone. Your comment comes over as aggressive and dismissive of a thought you do not happen to agree with. This isn't antisocial media, it's a gentlemen's club

[Tom King]

I agree this isn’t anti social media that’s why I took a defensive position to your dripping sarcasm, but now it seems that everyone and his dog gets one! which clearly defines your opinion.
 

Nothing further to add, good evening. 

[Megan]

To be honest I actually like the East German approach: whatever trade you engage in, there are medals for merit and long service for that trade. What do you think?

[Dave Wilkinson]

Without wishing to "stir" the proverbial, I do think that the continual churning out of medals by the UK Government seems to be spiralling out of control. We will soon bring ourselves into line with those other nations (I won't name them) whose uniformed representatives adorn themselves with what seems to be endless lines of medal ribbons. Some of those individuals are obviously very young in service and yet have two or more lines of ribbon to their credit already. What are they for I ask myself, completing their recruit course successfully, or perhaps good attendance for six months?

 

Before my retirement, I spent 20 plus years working in a law enforcement capacity at the Port of Dover and had almost continuous involvement with HM Immigration Service and its later re-incarnation. So, there is little I do not know about their work. Its gone from a non-uniformed, non-confrontational role to a rather aggressive arm of the Home Office. They went from wearing a smart civilian lounge suit to adopting a uniform which so emulates that of a bobby complete with batons and handcuffs hanging from their belt, that they are often wrongly described by many as "police", a term which they themselves seem to cherish. The term "Border Force" appears to be out of step with the Government's wish to be "Service" oriented. The police have (in the main) long since ceased to use the term "police force", so I wonder why there is this desire to present an image which is so out of keeping with what people expect. Do they embark upon dangerous assignments? Probably. But I know from my own experience that they go about their enforcement work "mob handed" and seldom if ever operate on their own. So the risk of them being injured or attacked is reduced significantly. The same could also have been said for the old HM Customs & Excise. If they were dealing with the public there were invariably five or six of their staff present. One further comment I would make is that they are supported by a very active Union and have the right to withdraw their labour at the drop of a hat. Not that the general public would give a hoot if that were to take place, as indeed it has in the past, with very little effect. So, they've got themselves a Long Service & Good Conduct medal. They've joined the "club". Well done!

 

Personally, I've always thought that the elderly gentleman who operates the School Crossing Patrol near where I live has a particularly dangerous job. He's on his own and often faces anger, aggression and risk of assault most days. I'm tempted to start an on line petition suggesting that after two years continuous service he should get a medal. Now that's a thought!

 

Dave.   

 

        

Edited March 29 by Dave Wilkinson

[Tom King]

Dave

 

Thanks for your input, seems that this medal has stirred some enmities.  There is lots wrong with Border Force and the Home Office on that we can agree. BF is certainly not the police, I speak from experience of both,  but then again  I have yet to meet anyone who thinks it is.  The days of  the lounge suited immigration service and customs officers operating in large gangs is long gone. Poor pay and working conditions make the job unappealing and retention of staff is challenging, the reality is the  amount of officers reaching 20 years service will be very small, once the legacy immigration and customs officials have all retired. 

 

However my gripe is about recognition of service, for people working in any operational frontline role, whether that's simply through the grind of daily service, dealing with small boats in the English Channel, policing inner city estates or military being deployed overseas to conflict zones, it's  something I am quite passionate about. Put a uniform on and enforce any law in most 1st world countries and you become an easy target of abuse from sections of the public and media alike, as you represent authority, which justified or not an increasing section of today's society does not like or respect.

 

I don't think the UK has any risk of going down the path of some countries, getting recognition in the UK within the medals and honours system outside of the establishment and the cult of celebrity is like getting blood out of a stone.  The US military as we know, has a different ethos to the British culture when it comes to medals. What makes the British system right and theirs wrong. Human nature to judge others based on our own cultural systems and beliefs, but I think their system is about recognising service in all its forms, which ours is reluctant to do.  A chest full of medal ribbons for the military, so be it, why not, give people something to be proud of, a single medal for long service in a challenging role, not sure what the problem is.

[Megan]

I still remember almost 20 years ago, I was attending a reception at the University of Durham and the head of the hospitality staff was wearing a miniture of the MBE. I sidled over and congratulated him on it and he almost burst with pride and delight that someone had noticed!

 

Having a long-lived monarch has been a bit of an issue... all these jubilee medals! That's given a lot of people a row of medals with no greater effort than staying in the job for a few years. Maybe the Victorians had the right idea - if you got the Jubilee Medal in 1887 and qualified for the next one in 1897 you got a bar to the 1887 one rather than a second medal.