Boats and engines ‘will be kept from reaching the French coast’ it has been promised.
The “violent and dangerous” smuggling gangs behind the small boats crisis will be targeted with the latest technology as Britain invests £75million in border security.
Ruthless criminals who make millions from the sending people across the Channel in flimsy dinghies will be tracked and intercepted with “game-changing” new equipment.
Criminal investigations and “disruption operations” will be aided by new funding for the National Crime Agency in the UK, Europe, and beyond.
This is on top of the money needed to hire 100 specialists in intelligence and investigation. Europe-wide additional staff will target the gangs and disrupt their supply chains.
Ten small boat engines were seized by personnel stationed at the Bulgarian border, marking an early success. In this “transit country,” twenty small boats and their engines had already been seized.
Around 600 “dangerous” lifejackets were seized in collaboration with partners in Italy and the Netherlands. These lifejackets would have been used by gangs to transport migrants across the Channel.
Ms. Cooper stated, As we tragically witnessed once more yesterday, criminal smuggling gangs that organize minor boat crossings undermine our border security and put lives in danger. To combat these dangerous gangs, the new government is rapidly intensifying cooperation with other nations.
“This includes providing funding for brand-new technology to assist in the operation of specialized operations throughout Europe and beyond.” We must immediately disrupt these dangerous and violent gangs’ operations.
This entails targeting their supply chains to prevent boats and engines from reaching the French coast, monitoring their communications, and tracking money flows through criminal networks. To ensure that these criminal gangs are stopped and brought to justice, we will expand our Border Security Command, hire more investigators, and collaborate more closely with our European partners in the coming months.
After crossing the Channel on Friday, 395 migrants arrived in the UK, bringing the total for the year to 25,639. By the same date in 2022, 33,611 people had arrived, compared to this number.
In Avelliono, Italy, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper met with interior and security ministers from the G7 nations.
She had a meeting with Bruno Retailleau, the new interior minister of France, and they agreed to go to France before the end of the year to talk about new ways that Britain and its close neighbors can work together to stop people smugglers and traffickers.