Organised immigration crime is an international problem that requires international solutions. That is why we are substantially scaling up collaboration with international partners to disrupt the people smuggling trade and the criminal gangs that profit from it.
Yesterday, I signed a landmark agreement with the German Federal Minister of the Interior and Community, Nancy Faeser. The UK-Germany joint action plan to tackle irregular migration will deliver strengthened investigative and prosecutorial responses to organised immigration crime, alongside enhanced intelligence sharing between our respective law enforcement agencies, and greater co-ordination of our efforts in source and transit countries to tackle irregular migration at source.
Many of the same criminal smuggler gangs that organise small boats in the channel are also operating in Germany and across Europe, with an impact on the security of all our countries, and therefore stronger law enforcement across borders is essential to tackle the dangerous gangs, illicit finance and supply chains involved.
There is recognition on both sides that activities on German soil that facilitate migrant smuggling towards the UK require a clarified legislative approach. Once enacted, this legal change will make it easier to disrupt and prosecute organised crime, including making it easier to significantly increase the number of arrests and prosecutions made in relation to the supply of small boats equipment—ensuring that those driving this trade are brought to justice.
Germany is a key international partner in our efforts to tackle people smuggling and the organised criminal groups that profit from this trade. The joint action builds on our existing co-operation with Germany and will deliver a new framework for enhancing our joint efforts to tackle organised immigration crime.
Minister Faeser’s visit to London yesterday included a visit to the National Crime Agency’s headquarters for a briefing on the scale of the small boats supply chain, existing operational co-operation between our respective law enforcement agencies, and the further co-operation that UK and German law enforcement agencies can undertake together through the joint action plan.
A copy of the UK-Germany joint action plan will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and will also be published on
www.gov.uk.[HCWS291]