NEW BORDER SECURITY COMMAND LAUNCHED TO COMBAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN UK

Mon 08 July 2024:

The UK has unveiled a new Border Security Command to enhance border protection and dismantle criminal smuggling gangs profiting from small boat crossings. Announced shortly after the Labour Party’s election victory and Yvette Cooper’s appointment as Home Secretary, the initiative aims to intensify efforts against organized immigration crime.

The Home Office stated that recruitment for a leader with experience in policing, intelligence, or military roles will begin immediately, with the appointed commander expected to assume their position soon. This leader will coordinate across agencies, including the National Crime Agency (NCA), intelligence agencies, police, Immigration Enforcement, and Border Force, to bolster border security and target smuggling networks.

Upcoming legislation will introduce new counter-terrorism-style powers to address organized immigration crime more effectively. Cooper has also commissioned a detailed investigation into smuggling tactics across Europe to support a major law enforcement drive in the coming months. Further discussions with European interior ministers and Europol’s director general are planned to enhance security cooperation.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that the government will not proceed with the controversial Rwanda Plan for asylum seeker flights, a policy previously endorsed by the Conservative government.

In 2023, around 40,000 individuals entered the UK illegally, with nearly 130,000 asylum applications recorded between April 2023 and April 2024. During this period, 56,834 people were granted asylum, marking the highest number of substantive asylum decisions in over 20 years.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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