Home Office announces Inspector of Borders and Immigration contract extension

Mr Bolt, who previously held senior positions in national security and crime-fighting, including at the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), took up the role of scrutinising the effectiveness and efficiency of the border and immigration functions performed by the Home Secretary in May 2015.

Since taking up the post, Mr Bolt and his team have reviewed and improved the inspection process making it more streamlined.

Extending his appointment empowers Mr Bolt to take a longer-term and more strategic look at the work of the Inspectorate, as evidenced by his recently published 3 year inspection plan which sets out to cover most of the Home Office’s border and immigration functions in some depth over the period 2016/17 to 2018/19.

He was originally appointed for a 2 year term ending on 30 April 2017. The Home Secretary and Permanent Secretary have extended Mr Bolt’s term from 2 to 5 years.

Home Secretary Theresa May said:

The role of providing detailed, independent scrutiny of our work and our performance in controlling immigration and protecting Britain’s borders is vital.

David Bolt has done an excellent job over the last year and extending his appointment enables David to continue his work with more authority, facilitating the continuing improvement of the work of the Inspectorate.

Independent Chief Inspector David Bolt said:

I am pleased to have been extended in my post as the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. I have recently published an ambitious 3 year programme of inspections and now look forward to carrying this through, helping the Home Office to identify and make improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of its border and immigration functions.