(Commonwealth_Europe) The Prime Minister plans to announce a substantial additional investment of £75 million to bolster border security, thereby doubling the funding for the Border Security Command to a total of £150 million in the next two years. This announcement coincides with the INTERPOL General Assembly, held in the UK for the first time in over 50 years. On November 4, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will address the Assembly in Glasgow, emphasizing his commitment to dismantling people smuggling networks. This initiative reflects a comprehensive reassessment of the UK’s approach to illegal migration and an intensified commitment to international cooperation in addressing this pressing issue.
The INTERPOL General Assembly serves as the organization’s supreme governing body, comprising senior officials from law enforcement and government across its 196 member states. In his address, the Prime Minister will draw upon his prior experience as Director of Public Prosecutions, during which he successfully led efforts against international terrorism and drug trafficking. He will outline a strategic approach focused on targeting the criminal syndicates that facilitate illegal migration, emphasizing the dual threats they pose—both to the welfare of vulnerable individuals and global security.
The newly allocated £150 million will fund various initiatives designed to bolster the UK’s capabilities in combating organized crime related to people smuggling. A key aspect of this investment will be the enhancement of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) technological capabilities, facilitating advanced data exploitation and fostering collaboration with European partners to disrupt and dismantle people smuggling networks. Furthermore, the Border Security Command will be staffed with 300 personnel, dedicated to reinforcing global partnerships, implementing new legislation, and guiding strategic investments that address the complexities of organized immigration crime.
The funding will also allocate 100 specialist investigators and intelligence officers to the NCA, who will focus specifically on combating individuals and groups involved in facilitating people smuggling. Additionally, the establishment of a new Intelligence Source Unit within the NCA will streamline intelligence sharing among key police forces, improving the overall effectiveness of operations against these criminal networks. This initiative aims to enhance the Crown Prosecution Service’s capacity to make timely charging decisions in international organized crime cases, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the judicial process in tackling these offenses.
Prime Minister Starmer is expected to stress the urgency of addressing this crisis, declaring, “The world needs to wake up to the severity of this challenge. I was chosen to deliver safety to the British public. Strong borders are part of that. But security doesn’t stop at our borders. There’s nothing liberal about turning a blind eye as men, women, and children perish in the Channel. This vile trade must be stamped out – wherever it thrives.” His remarks will underline the government’s determination to eradicate the vulnerabilities that allow criminal smuggler gangs to operate unchecked.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will further elaborate on the significance of the new Border Security Command, highlighting how criminal gangs exploit weaknesses in border security to endanger lives. She will present the investment as a pivotal shift in the government’s strategy to confront these networks, acknowledging the cross-border nature of their operations and the essential need for collaboration with international partners, including European nations, the G7, and Europol.
In addition to the £150 million investment for the Border Security Command, the UK Government is also increasing its year-round support for INTERPOL’s global operations with a £6 million investment. This funding will enhance INTERPOL’s unique capabilities in tackling serious organized crime that affects the UK, particularly focusing on the far-reaching operations of people smuggling networks that stretch from the money markets in Kabul to the Kurdish region of Iraq and across Europe into the UK.
The Home Office is further committing £24 million in the upcoming financial year to combat international serious organized crime impacting the UK. This funding will target issues such as drug trafficking, firearms smuggling, fraud, and exploitation and will support the efforts of special prosecutors and operational partners in the Western Balkans. The urgent nature of these initiatives is underscored by alarming statistics, with over 5,000 drug-related deaths recorded in 2023, many resulting from illegal substances sourced overseas or facilitated by transnational criminal organizations. The Intergovernmental Serious and Organized Crime (ISOC) funding will enhance efforts to tackle drug smuggling upstream and at the UK border, building on recent successful collaborations with the United States and Ecuador, which have led to significant drug seizures, including 19 tons of cocaine.
National Crime Agency Director General Graeme Biggar has highlighted the profound impact of serious and organized crime, noting that it inflicts more harm on the population than any other national security threat. He reaffirmed the NCA’s commitment to addressing organized crime, particularly those offences related to immigration, and outlined ongoing investigations into high-level criminal operations. Biggar emphasized the necessity of international collaboration, stating, “Distance, borders, and languages are meaningless to criminals. This is why collaborations with INTERPOL have never been as important as they are today.”
This announcement follows Britain’s recent commitment to a new G7 anti-migrant smuggling action plan, which aims to bolster border security, combat transnational organized crime, and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation. The action plan outlines intelligence-led joint investigations targeting criminal smuggling routes and emphasizes collaborative efforts with social media platforms to eliminate harmful content that promotes illegal migration services. Additionally, it seeks to strengthen capabilities for monitoring irregular migration flows at both global and regional levels, highlighting the multifaceted approach required to tackle this complex issue effectively.
