Are passport checks worth their salt?

A businessman is claiming that he managed to fly from the UK to Italy and back on his wife’s passport – despite having the document checked some 11 times. According to a report in the Daily Mail, company director Julian Morris, described as “well-built with grey hair”, flew from Heathrow to Venice’s Marco Polo airport using the passport, which he had picked up by mistake. His wife, Marilyn, is petite with brown hair. He reportedly told the newspaper that during the journey, four airport security guards, four immigration staff and three airline workers all checked his documents but none of them noticed that the photograph did not match the traveller. Mr Morris reportedly said: “I was extremely surprised. The current type of check clearly does not work as it requires an impossible level of vigilance.” A Home Office spokesman reportedly claimed that the failure by immigration officials to pick up the error “did not pose a security risk”. The newspaper carried out an investigation last year, during which several reporters managed to enter the UK carrying other people’s passports. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad