The Home Secretary is Creating a UK Border Security Command to Prevent Small Boat Crossings
Yvette Cooper, who recently assumed office after Labour’s overwhelming victory, shared her plans in her first policy announcement as Home Secretary.
In her recent policy statement, the new Home Secretary Yvette Cooper introduced the establishment of a UK Border Security Command to address the ongoing small boats crisis in the English Channel.
The Home Office initiated the process of recruiting a border security commander who will directly report to the home secretary starting Monday. The appointed individual is anticipated to assume their duties in the near future.
The chosen commander is expected to be a seasoned leader with experience in complex and demanding environments, such as senior roles in policing, intelligence, or the military. They will be responsible for providing strategic guidance to collaborate across various agencies, including the National Crime Agency (NCA), intelligence agencies, police, Immigration Enforcement, and Border Force.
A team within the Home Office is working on defining the scope, governance, and strategic direction of the new command. Additionally, preparations are underway to introduce new legislation to grant counter-terror powers and measures to combat organized immigration crime.
The Home Secretary has commissioned an investigation, in collaboration with the Home Office and NCA, into the latest methods, routes, and tactics employed by people-smuggling gangs across Europe.
The Border Security Command will leverage additional resources, expand its team of investigators, experts, and analysts, and commence operations on Monday to combat organized immigration crime, with a significant presence anticipated across Europe to collaborate with Europol and European police forces to disrupt criminal activities and prosecute those profiting from people smuggling.
Ms. Cooper emphasized the imperative need to dismantle the criminal smuggling gangs’ business model by targeting their communication, movement of people across Europe, and profits in discussions with NCA Director General Graeme Biggar.
In upcoming discussions with European interior ministers and Europol’s director general, the Home Secretary will explore avenues to enhance security cooperation further.
Ms. Cooper stressed, “Criminal smuggling gangs are exploiting small boat crossings to profit at the expense of border security and lives at risk. We must address this issue at its core by pursuing these dangerous criminals and seeking justice.”
“The establishment of the Border Security Command is a significant advancement in UK enforcement efforts to combat organized immigration crime. Recruitment for a border security commander is in progress, and additional resources are being allocated to the National Crime Agency,” she added.
Recent Home Office data revealed the arrival of 85 illegal immigrants via two boats in the English Channel between July 1 and July 7.
Following the announcement, former Tory MP James Cleverly, replaced by Ms. Cooper, questioned the necessity of the UK Border Security Command, labeling it as a potential “gimmick.”
The unveiling of the UK Border Security Command coincides with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announcing the termination of the Conservative’s Rwanda deportation policy, emphasizing a shift away from gimmicks and a commitment to addressing asylum seekers’ needs.
Furthermore, hundreds of individuals previously detained under the policy have been released, marking a significant shift in the government’s approach to immigration issues.
This report includes contributions from PA Media.
