Published 4 October 2024
Last updated 21 October 2024 — See all updates
The G7 Anti-Smuggling Action
Plan will deliver a boost to UK law enforcement by fostering
closer cooperation with G7 partners to bolster border security,
combat transnational organised crime, and protect vulnerable
individuals from exploitation by migrant smugglers.
New joint investigative actions will be carried out by law
enforcement teams to target criminal smuggling routes, while
intelligence sharing between G7 nations will ensure faster
identification and disruption of these dangerous networks.
This approach will enhance the capabilities of the Border
Security Command and its new Commander Martin Hewitt CBE QPM in
coordinating investigations with international partners to reduce
illegal migration to the UK.
Other measures announced in the plan include:
- sharing best practice, including disrupting supply chains
that facilitate people-smuggling, such as small boat parts,
seizing the illegal financial assets of criminals, and improving
cooperation across global transport routes
- working with social media platforms and internet providers to
remove harmful content that promotes illegal migration services
or advertises fake job opportunities
- strengthening capabilities to monitor and anticipate
irregular migration flows at both global and regional levels
The agreement comes after discussions by the Home Secretary at
the G7 Interior and Security Ministers' meeting in Avellino,
Italy, this week. It marks another step in the UK's reset of
relations with key allies and affirms a shared commitment to
working together to tackle complex cross-border issues.
Home Secretary said:
Criminal smuggling gangs who organise small boat crossings
undermine our border security and put lives at risk. Our new
government is rapidly accelerating cooperation with other
countries to crack down on these dangerous gangs.
Today's newly agreed G7 action plan provides an important focus
on international law enforcement and reflects our determination
to work with global partners on these shared challenges. New
international joint investigative teams will help coordinate
cross-border action and supplement the measures we have already
taken to set up the UK Border Security Command and back it with
new funding.
The plan will help to increase both voluntary and enforced
returns of migrants to countries of origin. It aims to offer
migrants more choices and improve the overall management of
migration flows.
Instrumental to delivery of this plan in the UK is the new Border
Security Command, under the leadership of Martin Hewitt CBE QPM,
which will be armed with enhanced powers and coordinate the work
of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. It will coordinate
investigations with European counterparts and will benefit from a
£75 million investment in cutting-edge technology, additional
officers, and new covert capabilities.
In July, the government committed a further £84 million to
addressing the root causes of irregular migration. This funding
will go towards programmes aimed at tackling the drivers of
migration at their source, reducing the need for dangerous and
irregular journeys.
Since taking office, the Home Secretary has increased efforts to
work with international partners to tackle the challenges posed
by irregular migration. This has included engagement with the
United States Attorney General, Merrick Garland, European
Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and Executive
Director of Europol, Catherine De Bolle.
The UK will continue to drive focus on tackling migrant smuggling
with the G7 under Canada's presidency next year, and at next
month's INTERPOL General Assembly in Glasgow.
