Home Secretary Yvette Cooper
The Home Secretary introduced fresh plans to strengthen border security. Enforce immigration laws and speed up deportations to reach the highest removal rates, since Theresa May’s administration.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) will employ up to 100 specialized intelligence and investigations officers to break up criminal smuggling gangs and stop risky boat crossings.
The number of NCA officers stationed at Europol. Which is presently conducting about 70 active investigations into people smuggling and trafficking groups, has increased by 50%. This comes after the increase in personnel.
The officers have been quickly dispatched to support European operations, that target criminal smuggling gangs that profit from small boat crossings.
She promised that employers of undocumented workers would face a variety of penalties, such as monetary fines, business closure orders and possible legal action.
Moreover, many enforcement and deportation flights will be conducted, to reverse the recent decline and achieve the highest removal rates since 2018.
The 290 more beds will be added to the Campsfield and Haslar Immigration Removal Centres’ detention capacity.
This increase guarantees, that immigration laws are correctly implemented by providing the extra room required to accommodate increased levels of enforcement and returns.
Employees will be relocated to accommodate, the higher returns. Which decreased by 40% since 2010.
The Home Secretary Said: “We are enforcing the law and policing border security.”
“We are starting to ramp up, our new Border Security Command. We are hiring new employees and stationing more staff members throughout Europe.
“They will collaborate with European law enforcement organizations to explore, every avenue for dismantling the illicit smuggling networks. That orchestrate perilous waterway crossings, jeopardizing our border security and endangering human lives.”
“We will also replace the chaos with a better-managed and controlled system. That has plagued it for far too long, by enhancing enforcement capabilities and returns.”
Home Office Figures: The provisional total of 2024 crossings has reached 19,294 when 206 migrants crossed the English Channel in three boats on Monday. The number from the previous year was 17,620 increased by 10%. So the most recent figure shows a 10% decrease.
The DG of Operations for the NCA Rob Jones: “The NCA continues to prioritize, combating organized immigration crime and we are investing more time and resources than ever before.
“With the NCA currently heading up to 70 investigations into the most dangerous people-smuggling and trafficking organizations, these additional officers will be crucial to that effort.”
Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais: “The new government is repeating, the mistakes of the previous government by continuing to invest in border security, rather than practical solutions.”
“According to the data, these purported deterrents don’t work as promised. They only make people, take bigger chances to cross the Channel. Which does not affect the number of crossings.
The establishment of secure pathways for people, to apply for asylum in the UK is the only way to halt crossings and save lives. The new government needs to concentrate on that.
