GETTY Mr Whiteman said failures were unchecked because of scant resources

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Former borders chief Rob Whiteman said that thousands of illegal migrants had simply vanished without trace. Asylum seekers had also disappeared in their droves. Mr Whiteman, chief executive of the UK Border Agency from 2011 to 2013, said failures were unchecked because of scant resources.

GETTY Around a million illegal migrants were living in the UK

A lot of illegal migrants may be working here legally. An Italian ID card is enough to give you an NI number Rob Whiteman

He revealed illegal migrants and asylum seekers were disappearing in the UK in tens of thousands as staff focused on “high-risk” serious criminals. He said National Insurance numbers were being issued to migrants with false identity documents. In some cases they offered an ID card from a European country like Italy Mr Whiteman said that of 84,000 illegal entrants caught last year the figure was “at best” half the number that slipped in. Around a million illegal migrants were living in the UK. His damning verdict on security came days after Home Secretary Amber Rudd promised to “take a grip” on immigration.

Borders across the world Sat, March 19, 2016 See the structures that are intended to prevent migrants from crossing the borders across the globe. Play slideshow EPA 1 of 26 Hungarian Army patrol the area along the temporary border fence on the Hungarian-Serbian border

Mr Whiteman said: “The border is porous beyond our main ports. Britain is incredibly close to the rest of Europe so people will gain entry into the country through little harbours, inlets and airfields which are often not covered routinely. If you have the money I suspect it’s easy to get into the UK. The agency has three cutters. Your chances of getting across the Channel are good. In Australia a great deal of the navy’s time is given over to border protection.” Mr Whiteman is the first senior former official to come clean about the scale of illegal immigration and the ease with which people can sneak into Britain.

Last year 84,088 people caught trying to reach Britain illegally from the Europe. It is believed at least another 170,000 made it. He said resources were being targeted on high-risk foreigners. Those who arrived undetected or claimed asylum and subsequently absconded were largely ignored. Last year the UK removed 5,810 foreign national offenders. Asylum claims are at the highest level since 2004. Mr Whiteman, now head of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, said: “It is not unreasonable to assume that the number detected is only a proportion of the number trying.

GETTY Home Secretary Amber Rudd had promised to 'take a grip' on immigration

"I would have thought the number caught is at best half. “The number of illegal migrants reaching the country is far greater than the rate at which we are deporting people. “Either we have to put considerable new resources and policies into removal, including holding more people in detention, or accept there are a large number of people living in the country who are not allowed to live here but neither are they facing deportation. If you have come here on false documents with a false identity you may well now have a National Insurance number. “A lot of illegal migrants may be working here legally. An Italian ID card is enough to give you an NI number. “If the public is ever going to be reassured we have to talk about the fact that there is a large amount of illegal migration that is not being dealt with. Either the Home Office needs more staff or we accept the situation isn’t going away.” Last month the Daily Express revealed there were 77,440 asylum cases currently in progress but up to one in six – nearly 12,000 – could be on the run after absconding and joining the UK’s 1.1 million-strong “clandestine” population. Mr Whiteman said: “I think that [the fi gures] will be right. The number of people who have absconded from the process and not reported back does not surprise me.

GETTY Mr Whiteman suggested the Home Office needed more staff

"We don’t know the true illegal migration figures but I do think it is more in the region of a million.” During Mr Whiteman’s time at the Home Office under former boss and current Prime Minister Theresa May he was ordered to make 25 per cent savings or £500million cuts on a £2billion budget. He said: “At the moment the Home Office is not staffed to deal with the scale of the problem of illegal immigration. "The rate of absconding is very high. “For staff working in border and immigration services workloads remain exceptionally high.

GETTY Mr Whiteman was ordered to make 25% savings under current Prime Minister Theresa May