Prime Minister announces extra £75 million to tackle people smuggling

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is to announce an additional £75 million to tackle people smuggling gangs.

Interpol’s general meeting is being held in Britain for the first time in more than 50 years as Sir Keir seeks to reset the country’s approach to border security.

The cash boost takes funding for Britain’s new Border Security Command (BSC) to a total of £150 million for new technology hubs and increased staffing levels for enforcement, intelligence and prosecution staff.

Sir Keir is expected to warn at the Glasgow summit, which brings together senior police officials and ministers from almost 200 Interpol member states, that “the world must wake up to the seriousness of this challenge”.

Sir Keir will set out how he plans to use his experience as Director of Public Prosecutions to bring together agencies to tackle international terrorist and drug smuggling gangs.

He will say: ‘I was elected to provide security for the British people and strong borders are part of that – but security doesn’t stop at our borders.

“There is nothing progressive about turning a blind eye when men, women and children die in the Channel.

“This is a despicable trade that must be eradicated – wherever it flourishes.”

The Prime Minister wants to apply a counter-terrorism approach to border security and end ‘fragmentation’ between police, border police and intelligence services.

The BSC, led by Martin Hewitt, will be given sweeping powers through a new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill – to make it easier to detect, disrupt and deter those involved in organized immigration crime to startle.

The BSC will also coordinate the work of intelligence and law enforcement agencies with European counterparts and receive additional funding for:

• An additional 300 BSC employees to strengthen global partnerships and create new legislation
• An additional 100 specialist investigators and intelligence officers for the National Crime Agency (NCA), to tackle criminals involved in people smuggling.
• New NCA technology around advanced data exploitation, to stimulate cooperation with European partners investigating smuggling networks
• Creating a new specialist intelligence unit to investigate information from key police forces.
• Enhancing the Crown Prosecution Service’s ability to make faster charging decisions in international organized crime cases.

Sir Keir will also announce that the UK Government has increased its support for Interpol’s global operations by an additional £6 million this year to tackle the serious organized crime affecting Britain through drug crime.

The Home Office will also invest £24 million in the new financial year to tackle international organized crime affecting Britain, including drugs and firearms, fraud, human trafficking and exploitation.

The funds will be used in part to support the work of special prosecutors and operational partners in the Western Balkans.

There were 5,448 deaths from drug poisoning recorded in 2023, an increase of 11% from a year earlier, and the highest level since records began in 1993.

NCA director general Graeme Biggar said there were currently 70 investigations into the gangs or individuals.

“Serious and organized crime causes more harm, to more people, and more often than any other threat to national security,” he said.

“Distance, borders and languages ​​are meaningless to criminals. That is why collaborations with Interpol have never been as important as they are today.”

The Conservatives have been contacted for comment.