26 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 4.22 We will increase departmental accountability for decisions on protective security across government, including personnel, physical and cyber security. We will improve information sharing across government, CNI and key industrial partners. Our borders 4.23 The UK is a global hub. Over 200 million people and £700 billion of international trade cross our borders each year, and numbers are increasing. The UK is not part of the EU’s Schengen open borders agreement, and so we have been able to set our own approach to the migration crisis caused by instability in the Middle East and Africa by taking refugees directly. 4.24 Legitimate passengers and goods must be able to travel without hindrance. But our borders are also a critical line of defence at which we can and do identify and disrupt threats to our security, including from terrorism and serious and organised crime. 4.25 We have significantly strengthened border security. We created the Border Force in 2012 and the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Border Policing Command in 2013. We have established five Joint Border Intelligence Units to target developing threats. 4.26 We will strengthen our ability to detect the movements of people and goods such as illegal firearms that present a threat, through detection technology and better data on land, sea and air passengers and cargo, and through intelligence and targeting. We will modernise and introduce more automation to enable us to deploy our border officials where they are needed most, including an enhanced presence at our sea ports. 4.27 Although radiological and nuclear threats are unlikely to occur, we will continue to counter them. We will work with international partners to invest in new technology, to ensure that the radiological and nuclear detection systems at the UK border remain among the best in the world. Consular assistance and protecting British nationals overseas 4.28 Five million British nationals live overseas, and British nationals make an estimated 60 million visits abroad each year. The FCO’s Travel Advice website is used by 27 million people a year, helping them to make informed decisions before they travel. Travel operators and companies which employ British nationals overseas should also have emergency plans. The FCO answers almost a million consular enquiries from British nationals each year, and provides consular assistance when needed. In 2014, this included more than 16,500 cases. 4.29 We respond rapidly to crises overseas, such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters and outbreaks of conflict or public disorder, in order to protect British nationals and British interests. If needed, we help people to leave a country, and in extreme situations we organise evacuations. Our strong relationships overseas enable us to secure cooperation and assistance from host governments in times of crisis. 4.30 We have strengthened our ability to respond rapidly through our surge capacity of crisis-trained FCO Rapid Deployment Teams. We will train and exercise more of our staff in crisis response and build expertise. We will maintain our specialist kidnap negotiation and hostage rescue capabilities. We have a long-held and clear policy on ransoms: we do not pay ransoms to terrorists.

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