Human Trafficking

(asked on 9th February 2021) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the National Crime Agency is taking to address people smuggling.


Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford Portrait
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This question was answered on 23rd February 2021

The Government remains committed to tackling Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) and disrupting the Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) responsible. The NCA undertakes investigations into complex and serious OIC offences, arresting offenders in the UK and overseas and bringing them to justice.

The NCA is the operational lead for the OIC Taskforce. The Taskforce is a critical element of the UK government’s multi-agency response to tackling people smuggling. It takes a whole of route approach, deploying over 150 multi-agency officers to operate in 17 countries, with Crown Prosecution Service prosecutors placed in key source and transit countries to disrupt OCGs profiting from illegal migration. In these locations the Taskforce works with partner law enforcement and prosecution agencies to gather intelligence, build resources and share expertise to disrupt people-smuggling networks. The NCA are actively engaging bilaterally and multilaterally with partner countries to tackle specific cases of OIC activity.

As part of its Taskforce activities, the NCA also works alongside the Home Office Clandestine Threat Command targeting the small boats threat. Activity includes enhancing the collective understanding of the threat, developing intelligence and executing an effective operational response. The Taskforce has also played a significant role in the investigation in the UK’s response to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in a lorry in Essex in October 2019 which led to the prosecution of the offenders.

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