Home Secretary announces £75m to tackle people smugglers – The Irish News

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced £75 million in funding to increase the number of Border Force officers and tackle people smugglers.

The cash injection is intended to deliver new technology and enhance the capabilities of Britain’s Border Security Command, she said.

It comes after more than 1,000 migrants arrived in the UK over the weekend and eight men died as they tried to cross the Channel on Saturday.

Ms Cooper said: “Criminal gangs are getting away with undermining our border security and putting lives at risk.

“The Border Security Command will undertake a major overhaul and improvement in law enforcement efforts against smugglers and human trafficking gangs to enhance our border security.

“State-of-the-art technology and enhanced intelligence capabilities will ensure that we use every tool at our disposal to dismantle this despicable trade.”

The money originally allocated for the previous government’s Rwanda plan is now being used to finance the plans.

After the election, the new Labour government scrapped the plan, which was intended to deter asylum seekers by sending people who arrived in the UK illegally to the East African country.

Hidden cameras and surveillance technology are also part of the package, which the Interior Ministry says should speed up investigations and increase the chances of successful prosecutions.

In addition, the National Crime Agency (NCA) is getting 100 extra specialist detectives, as announced by the government earlier this year.

Rob Jones, Director General of Operations at the NCA, said: “I am pleased with this funding, which will enable us to enhance and expand our technology, data exploitation and capacity building both internationally and in the UK.

“Tackling organised immigration crime remains a top priority for the NCA. We are currently leading around 70 investigations into the gangs or individuals involved in the highest echelons of criminality, and we are devoting more resources to it than ever before.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to disrupt and dismantle these networks wherever they operate.”

Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said: “Crown prosecutors will bring significant expertise to the new unit to help stop human trafficking gangs and recover all assets obtained through crime.

“Working with partners, we will continue to discourage, disrupt and dismantle this exploitative trade through prosecutions and cross-border cooperation.”