Criminal gangs will focus on lorry drivers for recruitment into human trafficking rackets after their illegal operations slowed during the coronavirus outbreak, UK law enforcement warned on Thursday.
British authorities have reported a sharp rise in attempted small boat crossings between England and France during the pandemic but migrant smuggling overall was down significantly because of the slowdown in international trade.
As the UK eases its lockdown, the head of the National Crime Agency, which targets Britain's most serious criminals, said it had alerted authorities about a probable sharp rise in efforts to corrupt lorry drivers, port and airport workers who may have suffered financially during the pandemic.
“Criminals are criminals and they do things for money,” said Lynne Owens, the head of the agency. “Whether they are moving drugs, firearms or people, they will see this as an opportunity to try to exploit the situation, particularly if there’s an economic downturn and from across the world there’s an increase in migrants.
“That is a risk and why we need to be on top of it.”
The agency reported last month that attempted crossings into the UK by hiding inside lorries, by air and by using false documents increased in 2019 compared with the previous year.
Most illegal immigrants trying to reach the UK come via the eastern Mediterranean route via Greece. Numbers increased on that route by nearly 50 per cent last year.
It said there was a continuing trend for smugglers to use high-risk methods including inside the back of refrigerated lorries.
Thirty-nine people from Vietnam were found dead last year in the back of such a truck in eastern England after arriving from Belgium. The driver, Maurice Robinson, 25, has admitted manslaughter. Four other men face criminal trials in the UK.
Ms Owens said officials were preparing for the full lifting of restrictions that would “reopen and increase opportunities for criminals to transport illicit commodities and illegal migrants towards the UK”.
The warning comes as crime was found to have fallen by one quarter during the lockdown in England and Wales. Fraud was not included in the figures.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
