Britain and Turkey have struck a new deal to “disrupt and dismantle people smuggling gangs,” but the immigration minister has declined to spell out how much the deal will cost UK taxpayers.
Under the deal Britain will help fund the establishment of a new “centre of excellence” for the Turkish National Police.
Asked how much the deal would cost Britain, immigration minister Robert Jenrick told GB News it was “not primarily about money.”
Mr. Jenrick said Britain had been concentrating on the frontline of the battle against illegal immigrants crossing the English Channel, but he said the Turkey deal was part of an effort to focus more on what was happening “upstream.”
He said it was believed many of the small boats and engines used to transport illegal immigrants across the Channel passed through Turkey and he said the agreement with the Turkish authorities was designed to tackle the “supply chain of boats and engines.”
The Turkish National Police centre of excellence will allow more collaboration with Britain’s National Crime Agency and Home Office intelligence staff based in Turkey and more British officers will be deployed in Turkey.
The Home Office said hundreds of small boats and boat parts, often manufactured in China, are transported through Europe each year having been purchased by people smuggling gangs.
Braverman Promises to ‘Smash’ People Smuggling Gangs
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “We must do everything we can to smash the people smuggling gangs and stop the boats. Our partnership with Turkey, a close friend and ally, will enable our law enforcement agencies to work together on this international problem and tackle the small boat supply chain.”Mr. Jenrick said: “We will be intensively sharing intelligence, people, and technology to disrupt and dismantle people smuggling gangs and the manufacture and supply of materials which enable small boat crossings.”
“Having met our partners in Europe, North Africa, and indeed Turkey recently, I’ve seen first-hand the benefits our increased cooperation has on stopping the boats,” he added.
Mr. Jenrick said the UK was a “leading force” in tackling illegal immigration and was eager to partner with countries who “share our determination to defeat it.”
Mr. Jenrick visited a checkpoint at Kapikule on the Turkish–Bulgarian frontier last month.
‘Global Challenge’
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the two governments said, “Irregular migration due to armed conflicts, instability and economic hardship is a global challenge.”“International, regional and bilateral cooperation is necessary to manage irregular migration and to combat criminal networks that take advantage of vulnerable migrants risking their lives by undertaking perilous journeys,” the statement added.
Thousands of illegal immigrants have crossed the English Channel on small boats in the last three years and around 50,000 are currently being housed in hotels at great expense.
Around 50 people were expected to board the vessel but around 20 were granted a last-minute reprieve after a series of legal challenges.
