Extracts from Commons proceedings: National Crime Agency - Nov 16
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Extracts from Commons Urgent Question on migration Scott Benton
(Blackpool South) (Con): Senior police officers in my
constituency tell me that the majority of the serious organised
crime and the drugs trade in Blackpool is now orchestrated by
Albanian gangs. Does the Minister recognise that some of those who
cross in small boats and subsequently abscond when they arrive in
this country are playing a part in fuelling a crime epidemic in
towns such as Blackpool?...Request free
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Extracts from Commons Urgent Question on migration
Scott Benton (Blackpool South)
(Con): Senior police officers in my constituency tell me
that the majority of the serious organised crime and the drugs
trade in Blackpool is now orchestrated by Albanian gangs. Does
the Minister recognise that some of those who cross in small
boats and subsequently abscond when they arrive in this country
are playing a part in fuelling a crime epidemic in towns such as
Blackpool?
Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering)
(Con): Yesterday the National Crime
Agency confirmed that Albanian organised crime
gangs are ferrying thousands of young men to enable them to enter
the country illegally so that they can set up, take over and run
cannabis farms across the country. On arrival they claim asylum,
and the Home Office then transports this criminality to
communities up and down the country to infiltrate the local crime
scene. To read all the exchanges, OPEN HERE Extract from report stage (Commons) of the National Security Bill NO DEBATE
Amendment 56, page 123, line 18, at end insert— Extracts from Westminster Hall debate on West Balkans: Council of Europe Stephen Doughty (Cardiff South and Penarth) (Lab/Co-op):...The hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) made some important points about not in any way demonising or targeting the diasporas of individual countries with our language and about the damage that that can do to communities playing a critical role in the UK. I very much agree with much of what he said about Albania. We have to be very careful; we need a pragmatic, official-led response to the challenges we see in the channel. The Home Affairs Committee has been very clear that what we are seeing is being facilitated by organised criminal gangs, which is why we have proposed a new National Crime Agency cell to tackle these groups upstream. We need to determine asylum claims swiftly so that those without claims can be returned, but that cannot descend into the language that we have seen from some parts of the media and, indeed, some senior politicians. It does huge damage to our good relations with Albania, which is one of our NATO allies. I sat in NATO headquarters just last week and saw the Albanian flag fluttering in the breeze alongside our own—we need to remember that Albania is our ally at a critical time. Indeed, many Albanians play a crucial role in this country. The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Anne-Marie Trevelyan):...I would like to take the opportunity to put on the record the strength of the close and long-standing UK-Albania relationship, including in the Council of Europe. As my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) highlights, the 150,000-strong Albanian diaspora here in the UK are so important to the UK. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary most recently met Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Berlin earlier this month. We want a stable and prosperous bilateral partnership, benefiting not only our two countries but the region and Europe as a whole. We are working together against drugs and people trafficking and money laundering. The NCA has a strong relationship with Albanian partners, with growing co-operation and data sharing... To read all the exchanges, OPEN HERE |