Tag: people-smuggling gangs

UK Government finds another £100 million for new crackdown on people smuggling gangs

SMALL BOAT CROSSINGS AT RECORD LEVELS

Dangerous criminal gangs profiting from deadly small boats crossings will face a major new crackdown following a £100 million investment in border security.

The funding will pay for up to 300 extra National Crime Agency officers (NCA), state-of-the art detection technology and new equipment to smash the networks putting lives at risk in the Channel.

The investment will see the Border Security Command, the NCA, the police and other law enforcement agency partners receive a significant cash injection to strengthen investigations targeting smuggling kingpins and disrupt their operations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and beyond.

The package of up to £100 million will boost existing law enforcement operations and allow more intelligence to be gathered on organised immigration crime gang members, support upstream capacity building, purchase sophisticated technology and equipment to strengthen UK border security and disrupt the people-smuggling gangs.   

The investment will build on the recent successes under existing funding, including the arrest and prosecution of major smuggling gang kingpins, the seizure of over 600 small boats and engines, and the disruption of a further 351 criminal gangs through the work of the NCA.

It comes as the NCA announced their biggest people-smuggling raid and seizure of boat engines in Bulgaria last week – showing the impact increased international law enforcement operations can have.

The comprehensive funding package will include:

  • Funding to support the new pilot of the ‘one-in, one-out’ returns agreement between the UK and France, which for the first time will see migrants who arrive illegally on small boats returned to France.
  • An uplift in NCA staff of up to 300 personnel focused on intelligence targeting crime gang members.
  • New state-of-the-art technology and equipment for the detection and disruption of organised immigration crime, including hi-tech surveillance capabilities, and AI-assisted intelligence and data analysis tools.
  • Funding to support the implementation of extended police powers to seize and download digital devices to gather evidence and intelligence, announced under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.
  • Funding for the recently-established Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce, which is driving law enforcement operations targeting the elements of organised immigration crime activity operating out of the UK, from the facilitation of boat crossings to the running of modern slavery networks.
  • Funding to intensify illegal working enforcement by increasing overtime for ICE teams, enabling more premium-time deployments, funding redeployment of officers to high-risk regions, boosting intelligence generation, and supporting sanctions teams to target non-compliant employers—delivering rapid operational uplift without requiring new permanent staff.
  • And funding to support a series of interventions upstream as well as intensified efforts in transit countries across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia to target organised immigration crime, disrupt human trafficking and the supply of dangerous small boat equipment, while also continuing to correct the lies peddled by criminal gangs to would-be migrants.

The investment will also support the new powers that will be introduced when the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill becomes law, which will include the introduction of a UK-wide offence to criminalise the creation and publication of online material that promotes a breach of immigration law, such as the advertisement of small boat crossings on social media. 

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “For six years, the small boat smuggling gangs were allowed to embed their criminal trade along our coast, and have shown a ruthless ability to adapt their tactics and maximise their profits, no matter how many lives they put at risk. They must not be allowed to get away with this vile crime.

“That is why this government has developed a serious and comprehensive plan to dismantle their business model, from disrupting their supply chains across the European continent to clamping down on their illegal working operations here in the UK.

“In the last twelve months, we have set the foundations for this new and much stronger law enforcement approach – establishing the new Border Security Command, strengthening the National Crime Agency and UK police operations, increasing Immigration Enforcement, introducing new counter terror style powers in our Border Security Bill, and establishing cooperation agreements with Europol and other countries.

“Now this additional funding will strengthen every aspect of our plan, and will turbo-charge the ability of our law enforcement agencies to track the gangs and bring them down, working with our partners overseas, and using state-of-the-art technology and equipment.

“Alongside our new agreements with France, this will help us drive forward our Plan for Change commitments to protect the UK’s border security and restore order to our immigration system.”

National Crime Agency Director General of Operations Rob Jones said: “The NCA focuses on making the biggest impact on organised crime groups behind these lethal crossings.

“We currently have 91 investigations ongoing into the most dangerous people smuggling networks impacting the UK, and are working with partners at home and abroad to target, disrupt and dismantle them.

“This additional funding will help boost our capacity and capability, enabling us to target more offenders.”

The NCA has reported that, in the 2024/25 financial year, it achieved 351 NCA-led disruptions of organised immigration crime networks and activity – its highest level on record – and a 40 percent increase on the previous financial year.

That included 56 high-impact NCA-led disruptions, which meant that those particular investigations led to the prosecution and disruption of those directly responsible for committing the crimes, and resulted in a significant and/or long term impact on the capability of the organised crime group involved.

These new measures fall within government’s Plan for Change.

The government says it is ”restoring order to the immigration system, including the introduction of new legislation under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, tougher enforcement powers, ramping up returns to their highest levels for more than half a decade and a major crackdown on illegal working to end the false promise of jobs used by gangs to sell spaces on boats’. 

‘It builds on the work this government has already undertaken to restore order to the immigration system, surging enforcement action against illegal migration, with a 50% increase in arrests of those caught working illegally, returning 35,000 people with no right to be in the UK, and imposing tougher sanctions against gang ring leaders, key intermediaries and suppliers of people-smuggling equipment.‘

Serious Crime laws to be overhauled to combat people-smuggling gangs

Suspected people smugglers will face travel bans, social media blackouts and restrictions on phone usage under tough new laws to dismantle organised immigration crime networks

In a major upgrade to Serious Crime Prevention Orders, new Interim Orders will allow immediate action to disrupt and deter suspected serious criminality.

These orders are part of a stronger approach to organised crime which will form part of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. This new approach will level up our response to serious crime including organised immigration crime, with new powers mirroring those which are already used to disrupt other harmful criminality such as knife crime, slavery and trafficking.

The Bill will improve border security, a key foundation for delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change.

Currently, securing a Serious Crime Prevention Order imposed on suspects, including people smugglers, can be a complex and lengthy process, restricting the use of this powerful tool. 

Interim Orders will go further, speeding up the process for placing restrictions on people under investigation to prevent, deter and disrupt serious and organised crime, including people smuggling. These new Interim Orders will allow the National Crime Agency (NCA), the police and other law enforcement agencies to apply directly to the High Court to impose immediate restrictions while a full Order is considered.

By taking immediate action at an early stage, without requiring a conviction, these Interim Orders will help crack down on people smugglers and other forms of serious and organised crime. This will strengthen the tools of law enforcement to disrupt these individuals who are operating in the UK, in some cases allowing investigations and prosecutions to continue whilst preventing further serious criminality from taking place.

The new orders will form an important part of preventing organised immigration crime while complementing the UK’s relentless pursuit of criminal gangs.

Restrictions will vary on a case-by-case basis but could include:

  • Travel restrictions
  • A ban on laptop or mobile phone usage
  • A ban on accessing social media networks, including via a third party
  • Restrictions on whom someone can associate with
  • Restrictions on devices and communications with certain individuals
  • Restrictions on their finances, helping to prevent criminal proceeds from going under the radar.

Breaching an Interim Order could lead to up to five years in prison.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Dangerous criminal people-smugglers are profiting from undermining our border security and putting lives at risk. They cannot be allowed to get away with it.

“Stronger international collaboration has already led to important arrests and action against dangerous gangs over the last few months. We will give law enforcement stronger powers they need to pursue and stop more of these vile gang networks.

“Border security is one of the foundations of this government’s Plan for Change, including making people better off, delivering safer streets and strengthening our NHS, and we will do everything in our power to deliver for working people.”

The announcement comes in the same week as the disruption of a major Afghan people-smuggling ring by a joint operation between the NCA and Belgian authorities, with support from Immigration Enforcement and Border Force officers. Three individuals were arrested in the UK after fleeing Belgium in a small boat to avoid prosecution.

This is the latest development in the Westminster government’s crackdown on people-smuggling gangs and the new Border Security Command which is bringing together operational leads to disrupt more gangs across the continent, break their business model and bring them to justice.

The trio were found guilty of being part of an organised crime group responsible for transporting thousands of migrants into Europe, including some to the UK on small boats. The group also committed serious sexual offences against male migrant minors. They now face extradition back to Belgium to face justice, where last month a court in Antwerp convicted and sentenced the trio and 20 other members of the gang to a total of 170 years imprisonment, with sentences ranging from two to 18 years.

The landmark Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will strengthen the operational activity of the new Border Security Command, backed up with £150 million, and bringing together key operational experts including Immigration Enforcement, Border Force and vital partners like the NCA. Further measures in the legislation will be brought forward to tackle all aspects of organised immigration crime.

According to the UK government, in just under six months, there has been major progress in increasing enforcement and restoring order to the chaotic asylum system, stopping the Rwanda plan and restarting asylum processing to start bringing the backlog down. This work has already seen almost 13,500 people with no right to be here returned since the election. 

The government’s wide-ranging approach to tackling illegal migration also includes strengthened global partnerships. The UK has signed new agreements with Germany and Iraq to tackle people-smuggling gangs and has enhanced co-operation with the Calais Group.