UK govt unveils new planned curbs on people smugglers
The Peninsula
London: Suspected UK people smugglers could face travel bans and swifter social media and mobile phone curbs, under government plans announced Thursda...
London: Suspected UK people smugglers could face travel bans and swifter social media and mobile phone curbs, under government plans announced Thursday to reduce cross-Channel migrant arrivals by boat.
The interior ministry announced the plan to impose new interim Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPOs) on smugglers before they have been criminally charged, the day after figures showed soaring arrival numbers in 2024.
Around 36,816 people were detected crossing the Channel last year, a 25 percent increase from the 29,437 who arrived in 2023, according to provisional figures from the ministry.
Currently, imposing SCPOs on criminals, including people smugglers, involves "a complex and lengthy process" that the government said was "restricting the use of this powerful tool".
The planned interim orders -- set to be included in draft legislation introduced in parliament in the coming weeks -- would allow law enforcement agencies to ask a court to impose immediate restrictions while a full order is considered.