Quote Originally Posted by raynaputi View Post
Well if you're a driver, you need to have your driving license with you all the time right? You shouldn't drive if you don't bring your driving license. Also, don't BRP cards and driving licenses have digital photos? They even get your fingerprints when you apply for a BRP card. I'm sure authorities can determine if a passport is tampered or fake. I think if my IDs are stolen, it would just indicate that I'm too careless with my things for that to happen. Then the first thing I must do after the theft is to inform the authorities about it to prevent identity theft. This has always been told/written in the forms and websites of UKBA, DVLA, etc. You can't let days/weeks/months/years pass by without informing the authorities about the theft.

And if someone else is using my identifications, I would insist for a fingerprint scan if worse comes to worst because no one can have the same fingerprint as yours, unless the thief is like a James Bond character who can make a copy of your fingerprint and such. Birth certificates, even though it's a clear identification of where you were born and your nationality, because it doesn't contain your photo (whether past/present photo) and/or fingerprints, it can just be considered as secondary identification. I know everything is possible but you sure would have a lot of ways in proving who you are if your identity would be stolen (dental and medical records, etc.).

I think these checks that are introduced now are actually good because the authorities are doing something that actually would show results in getting these illegal immigrants out of the country, at least knowing exactly where & who they are. I can't get it when people complain how many illegals are living in the country and yet when an effective way of getting these illegals removed from the country are introduced, the racist card is always shown.

Anyway, I'm an immigrant in this country and I don't find anything offensive with all these checks that are happening now. Check all my IDs and papers all the time they want, I won't be bothered. As long as they won't be mean to me after they found out I'm legally here, then I won't find it being racist. I was asking Keith when I got here, how come the authorities haven't done some checking with the immigrants coming here. I think it's time they do this. We all know immigration of this country has failed so badly and this is one thing the authorities can show that they are doing their bits to correct some things, one step at a time.
1). Please see response to Arthurs post...you do NOT need to carry your driving licence...a popular misconception.
2). As a law abiding driver and having been at the same addresss for numerous years i do NOT have a photo on my driving licence. I also have no desire to change it when they now charge extra to issue a photocard type licence. My licence is valid and thats all that is required. The licence issued to me is not a convenient size that one would want to carry it all times.
3). Identity theft can and does often happen without you being aware and it can be some weeks before you discover it has happened. In that scenario it becomes increasingly difficult to recover from it which really was the sort of situation i was reffering to. Of course you are correct that on discovering the theft of any important documents you should notify the appropriate authorities and the police as soon as possible.
4) forgery of documents is now becoming the interest of organised crime and consequently forgeries of important documents are becoming more and more difficult to detect.
5) Yes, fingerprints would prove your identity but most law abiding UK citizens have NEVER had fingerprints taken. Having them taken as a matter of routine would be seen by many as an erosian of our civil liberties and contrary to the speech (posted above) by Nick Clegg.
6) you say you dont mind authorities asking for your ID (As long as they are Nice to you)....but i think its exactly that point...in this case the Immigration Officers were found to be NOT being nice and infact demanding non white people produce ID.
7) Failure of immigration in this country is down to successive governments allowing EEC member countries people having the right to seek work here and very little to do with Non EEC country people being here. It also has to do with inadequate border controls and the fact that no checks are made on those leaving the UK. How can you control what you can't even count?