UK to clamp down on criminal networks in Western Balkans as the Prime Minister travels to Albania

The UK will step up efforts to break the crime web fuelling illegal migration across the Western Balkans on a historic visit to the region by the Prime Minister. 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will begin a two-day visit to Tirana today, to step up cooperation on migration and expand successful joint initiatives with Albania to more countries in the region. 

It comes after the Prime Minister unveiled the government's Immigration White Paper, a comprehensive plan that will bring net migration down to the UK significantly, earlier this week.

During the first ever official visit to Albania by a UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer will visit the Port of Durres to see firsthand how UK cooperation is intercepting people smugglers, deterring would-be migrants and snaring criminals using fake documents. 

The UK's cooperation with Albania has underlined how this government's approach of intercepting and deterring migrants upstream can dramatically cut illegal migration to British shores.

There has been a 95% reduction in Albanian small boat arrivals in the last three years, while the number of Albania's returned to the country has also doubled in the past two years, with 5,294 Albanians returned in 2024, more than double the 2,035 Albanian nationals returned two years earlier. 

But the Prime Minister has been clear that the government cannot be complacent about the success, and while in Albania this week, he is expected to announce the expansion of the Joint Migration Task Force with Albania and Kosovo to include North Macedonia and Montenegro.  

The taskforce brings together specialists from the countries involve to design and execute operations to detect, deter and manage illegal migration. It will see the UK share greater intelligence to allow Montenegrin and Macedonian law enforcement intercept smuggling gangs and deploy UK funded drones to snare gangsters funnelling migrants through the Western Balkans corridor and on to the UK. 

The UK will also support both countries to reinforce checks at border crossing points. 

The expansion of the taskforce comes ahead of the UK hosted Western Balkans Summit in the Autumn, which is expected to focus on regional security, economic growth and tackling shared challenges such as foreign interference and illegal migration with innovative solutions.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:  

“Global challenges need shared solutions, and the work the UK and Albania is doing together is delivering security for working people in both countries.  

“And our joint work to deter, detect and return illegal migrants is further proof that intervening upstream to protect British shores and secure our borders is the right approach.  

“Every step we take to tackle illegal migration overseas, cripple the criminal networks that facilitate it and stem the finance streams that fund it is delivering safer streets in the UK, and reducing the strain on taxpayer funded services. 

“But we cannot take this action alone, through closer partnerships and greater cooperation, we are creating real change with our partners across Europe and delivering on our Plan for Change.”  

The UK will also double down on its success with Albania, ensuring the barriers deterring migrants from making the journey from Tirana to British shores remain in place. 

As part of an enhanced strategic partnership with Albania, the Prime Minister and Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama are expected to agree to go further on clamping down on people smuggling, supporting human trafficking victims and ensuring Albanians deported home do not attempt a second journey.  

The two countries will also launch a new project to tackle illicit finance and investigate underground finance streams that are laundering money between Albania and the UK.  

Two forgery detection machines will also be donated to the Albanian State Police to quickly identify discrepancies and confirm document authenticity through regular checks, allowing Albanian law enforcement to track and apprehend individuals trying to illegally enter the UK on stolen or fake passports. 

And the UK will support Albania tackle what is known as the ‘revolving door effect' – when a migrant is returned home, only to evade law enforcement and leave the country again -  through a new programme to help young Albanians reintegrate into society and find meaningful employment. The focus of the programme will be in northern Albania, where the majority of migrants who arrive illegally in the UK are traced back to.  

The leaders are also expected to step up cooperation to counter serious organised crime, including the funding of a new forensic evidence programme to share and track the DNA swabs of criminals in Albania to solve crimes in the UK.  

The recent roll out of the programme saw more than 55 serious criminals – including murderers, rapists and manslaughter offenders –taken off UK streets thanks to the closer cooperation between the two countries. The project has seen 1000 hits in the past 18 months in UK data bases, resulting in 55 arrests in the UK. 

The government will invest a further £1m in the partnership this year to upgrade Albania's forensics, biometrics and digital capability to detect and detain further criminals and protect UK streets. It will also allow law enforcement in both countries to identify and gather evidence in some of the most serious crimes committed in Albania, the UK and beyond. 

Later in the day, the Prime Minister will see firsthand the deeper defence and security cooperation between the UK and Albania when he visits troops from both countries working together to train up Ukrainian soldiers under Op Inteflex. 

Day two of the programme will see the Prime Minister attend the European Political Community summit, where he will convene a roundtable on Defence and Security and continue conversations on innovative solutions to the challenge of illegal migration.