GERMANY TO MAKE MIGRANT SMUGGLING TO UK A CLEAR CRIMINAL OFFENCE – In a bid to tackle small boat crossings
It will become a criminal offence in Germany to facilitate migrant smuggling towards the UK. In a spirit of cooperation, a new deal has been made, despite it already being an offence for a migrant to leave the country of arrival when entering the European Union.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, signed the deal with her German counterpart, Nancy Faeser. A deal that will clarify certain domestic Laws that have made prosecution difficult and will allow German Prosecutors to pursue cases more effectively. The UK Government says this will allow Germany to prosecute the suppliers of small boat equipment.
It will also see the two countries commit to exchanging expertise on how to remove migrant smuggling content from social media platforms.
More than 20,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats since Labour came to power and more than 70 people have died attempting to cross the Channel so far this year.
On Tuesday the UK will host the next Calais Group meeting along with Germany, bringing together leaders from Belgium, France, The Netherlands, the European Commission and its agencies, Europol and Frontex, to discuss how to tackle the people smuggling trade.
