If someone flies with fake documentation or dubious luggage from Venezuela to Tenerife, and straight onto London a few hours later, they are stupid and will be caught.
Those who want to fly the route and are doing properly naughty stuff will likely cover their tracks a little better - at which point you do need people who are not just going to compare a photo on a chip with the person standing next to them.
Even profiling at immigration doesn't always work. I've been immensely relieved sometimes when entering other countries to be rubber stamped due to having an apparently low risk automated profile, when I know a more thorough look at my passport stamps would have picked up some quite concerning or unusual info. Inquisitive, suspicious, and highly assertive immigration staff are necessary... and those that have made the effort have (rightfully) chosen to ask me more probing questions. People in uniform who rubber stamp blindly are not sufficient.
Last edited by davidjohnson6; 24th Dec 2022 at 13:05.