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People smuggling should be put on a par with global terrorism, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday, as he pushed for closer international cooperation to tackle the issue.
The Labour party leader, a former chief state prosecutor in England and Wales, has vowed to “smash the gangs” behind the trade, amid concern at the rising number of undocumented migrants crossing the Channel from France.
UK government statistics showed that nearly 32,000 undocumented migrants have been brought ashore this year after attempting the crossing. At least 60 people have died — the worst year since records began in 2018.
Addressing international police chiefs in Glasgow, Starmer said that his government would double the GBP75 million ($97 million) it has earmarked to tackle criminal people smuggling gangs.
The additional funding will provide GBP150 million over two years for a new “elite” Border Security Command, comprising law enforcement and immigration officers as well as intelligence agencies.
But Starmer said the issue — “a massive driver of global insecurity” — could not be tackled by individual nations alone and urged countries not to work in isolation.
“The world needs to wake up to the severity of this challenge,” he said, adding: “People smuggling should be viewed as a global security threat similar to terrorism.
“We’ve got to combine resources, share intelligence and tactics, and tackle the problem upstream,” he told Interpol’s general assembly
“Unless we bring all the powers we have to bear on this in much the same way as we do for terrorism, then we will struggle to bring these criminals to justice.”
One of Starmer’s first moves as prime minister was to abolish the last Conservative government’s controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, which he dismissed as a “gimmick” and a waste of public money.
Starmer dismissed Tory criticisms that in ditching the scheme, Labour was being soft on immigration.
“There’s nothing progressive about turning a blind eye as men, women and children die in the Channel,” he said.
In its place, Britain is working closely with France in identifying and targeting human trafficking gang networks, with Germany on the supply of small craft, and with Italy on illicit financing.
London also wants to resume real-time intelligence sharing with the European Union that was stopped after Brexit, Britain’s departure from the block in 2020.
Starmer said his government would legislate to give border security forces “enhanced” powers to stamp out what he called the “vile trade”, using tried-and-trusted counter-terrorism tactics.
Later this week, Starmer is due to attend a summit of the European Political Community in Hungary, where migration and people smuggling are expected to feature high on the agenda.