Passengers from Ireland to the UK are not allowed to go through Passport Control and have to be treated as domestic passengers due to the Common Transit Area.
Depending on the domestic/international passenger facilities at an airport (and in different terminals), the only way to separate "domestic" passengers might be to bus them "around" the border to collect luggage. However, Special Branch are still keen to monitor inbound arrivals.
The staff you see will not be airport staff. The airport would only be responsible for the route you take to get your bags/exit, not the people.