Italian and British police are reportedly set to launch a ‘Mafia-style’ crackdown on people smuggling gangs.
The new taskforce is due to be announced in Rome on Tuesday and will attempt to “follow the money” as they seek to smother the operations of organised criminals who profit from the illegal movement of people, according to The Mirror.
The two countries will work to seize so-called “dirty money” from organised criminals and share intelligence with one another on migrant gangs responsible for smuggling people across Europe.
The operation will use lessons learned from the Italians’ crackdown on the mafia as Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to “smash the gangs”.
Starmer and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni are known to have a good working relationship, with the Rome-born PM previously saying that she is “in tune on many issues” with the UK.
Last week the Home Office announced tough new measures that would see the UK Border Force given counter-terrorism-style powers that will allow them to “identify, disrupt and smash people smuggling gangs” faster.
Under the plans, criminals caught selling or handling small boat parts could be jailed for up to 14 years as the Home Office aims to make it “illegal to supply or handle items suspected of being for use by organised crime groups”.
Officials believe they could even extradite criminals operating in countries such as Turkey and prosecute them under this new law.
In September, Sir Keir said at a joint press conference in the Italian capital: “I am pleased that we are deepening our cooperation here… to share intelligence, share tactics, shut down the smuggling routes and smash the gangs.”
Ms Meloni said at the time: “We agree with Prime Minister Starmer that the first thing we need to do is to intensify the fight against human trafficking, do it by uniting our efforts much more.” She added that they need to “follow the money”.
In 2024, 38,816 people crossed the Channel with an estimated 78 people dying whilst making the perilous crossing.
Next month representatives from over 40 countries will meet at a Border Security Summit in London where they will discuss a wide range of issues including cooperation in targeting gangs and potential measures at source which could reduce the need to migrate.
