Opportunities to investigate organised immigration crime are being lost
The police inspectorate has warned of missed opportunities to investigate organised immigration crime, with intelligence gathering neither being effective nor robust enough.
In a new report, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspected how effectively UK law enforcement agencies tackle organised immigration crime in England and Wales.
HMICFRS found that, since 2021, the number of activities by UK law enforcement agencies to disrupt organised crime groups had increased substantially. But the inspectorate found that the agencies involved in tackling organised immigration crime cannot always share intelligence with each other as effectively as they need to. And there were very few examples of forces or regional organised crime units proactively targeting these criminals.
The inspectorate also found:
- Most organised crime groups involved in immigration offences are being graded as low priority by law enforcement agencies;
- Instances where frontline personnel did not have direct access to the Police National Database or automated facial recognition technology; and
- A lack of clarity among UK law enforcement agencies over roles and responsibilities when tackling organised immigration crime.
HMICFRS has made ten recommendations to chief constables, the National Crime Agency and others. These include clarifying roles and responsibilities of law enforcement agencies, improving the processes for migrant identification and intelligence gathering, and making sure law enforcement agencies take all opportunities to investigate and disrupt identified organised crime groups.
The report comes a day after the Home Office announced a new dedicated taskforce has been launched to transform the way in which the police respond to organised immigration crime gangs operating from the UK.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Lee Freeman said: “Despite efforts to prioritise and tackle organised immigration crime, it remains a serious and persistent problem for the UK.
“People try to enter the UK in various ways. The most common, and extraordinarily dangerous way, is in a small boat crossing the English Channel, with many using the services of criminals specialising in organised immigration crime. The consequences of these crossings can be grave; increasingly, migrants – including children – drown during the journey.
“Organised immigration crime poses unique challenges for the police and other UK law enforcement bodies. And while we found that the response had improved in recent years, much more needs to be done.
“For example, they weren’t always clear on roles and responsibilities when it came to tackling organised immigration crime. During our inspection, we found instances where frontline personnel didn’t have access to the Police National Database or facial recognition technology. And many opportunities to address these crimes were being missed. Organised crime groups were not being prioritised by law enforcement agencies.
“We have made ten recommendations that are intended to improve how organised crime groups are being identified and tackled. Their implementation is intended to strengthen the response to organised immigration crime and, ultimately, lead to fewer lives being lost.”
Since the inspection fieldwork was completed, the Government created the Border Security Command, which is designed to improve coordination and leadership when it comes to tackling organised immigration crime.