Border checks 'suspended regularly' - UK - ITN.co.uk Border security checks have been suspended regularly and applied inconsistently since at least 2007, Theresa May has said. Speaking in the Commons, the Home Secretary said the official investigation into the relaxation of border checks last year found border staff went "over and beyond" any scheme approved by ministers. John Vine, the independent chief inspector of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), launched his investigation after it emerged the UK's border checks were being relaxed at ports and airports without ministerial approval. "The Vine report reveals a Border Force that suspended important checks without permission; that spent millions on new technologies but chose not to use them; that was led by managers who did not communicate with their staff; and that sent reports to ministers that were inaccurate, unbalanced and excluded key information," said Mrs May. She added that the border force, part of the UKBA, needs a "whole new management culture" and will be split from the Agency from March. She announced that Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Brian Moore will be appointed as the new head of the border force.