Extract from Commons
statement on Illegal Immigration
The Prime Minister ():...First, our policing of the
channel has been too fragmented, with different people doing
different things being pulled in different directions. So we will
establish a new, permanent, unified small boats operational
command. This will bring together our military, our civilian
capabilities and the National Crime
Agency It will co-ordinate our intelligence,
interception, processing and enforcement, and use all available
technology, including drones for reconnaissance and surveillance,
to pick people up and identify and then prosecute more gang-led
boat pilots. We are adding more than 700 new staff and also
doubling the funding given to the NCA for
tackling organised immigration crime in Europe...
Extract from oral
answer (Lords) on Albanian Asylum Seekers
(LD): My Lords, it is
reported that there has been a big rise in online advertisements
offering transfers from Albania to the UK by boat or lorry for a
price—in other words, smuggling. If this is openly advertised, is
it not possible to track down the smugglers and prosecute
them?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office () (Con): The
noble Baroness is exactly right: the gangs involved in people
smuggling do advertise in Albania, usually on social media
platforms—I understand that TikTok is particularly favoured. The
Home Office has an intelligence unit that considers all these
sources and, working with the National Crime
Agency steps are taken to prevent this sort of
criminal activity. As the noble Baroness will have seen, the
Prime Minister’s announcement increases the
NCA’s funding to tackle organised crime within
Europe, which will achieve greater control of this type of
criminality.
To read all the exchanges, CLICK HERE
