Vigilance reliably gathered that Raytheon Systems Ltd is disappointed by the 22nd July 2010 announcement by the UK Home Office regarding the e-Borders programme.

In the statement Raytheon issued following its sacking by the Government, it notes the company appreciates the Home Office is operating under significant budget constraints, but observes that a default notice is not an appropriate way to achieve the important objectives of this program, while expecting to review the matter with the Home Office at the earliest opportunity to address the way forward.

The high-tech company claims in the statement that since it began working on the programme, e-Borders has significantly improved the UK border security from threats of terrorism, illegal immigration and serious crime.

It claims further, “We have delivered a live operating capability that now screens more than 120 million passenger journeys per year, representing more than half of the traffic entering and leaving the country. The advanced screening processes we have introduced with our partners have enabled thousands of alerts and arrests since program inception. Raytheon has a long history of successfully delivering on thousands of programs for its global customers and is proud of its many achievements in support of e-Borders.”