Mahmood agrees Channel migrant intelligence deal with BelgiumThe agreement could also help to tackle wider organised crime including drugs and firearms smuggling.Belgian interior minister Bernard Quintin and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood sign the UK-Belgium Law Enforcement Cooperation Agreement (Stefan Rousseau/PA)PA WireGeorge Lithgow4 minutes ago
The Home Secretary has agreed an intelligence sharing deal with Belgium in an effort to stop migrant boats launching from the country.
Ministers hope the agreement will help police in both countries to work faster against people smuggling and organised criminal networks.
Belgian officers will now also able to join the UK-France intelligence cell in northern France, the Home Office said.
The agreement was signed by Shabana Mahmood and Belgian interior minister Bernard Quintin on Wednesday.
The recent bolstering of French police activity around Calais is likely to force smuggling routes further east and west along the coast to avoid detection.
Earlier this week, a dinghy that set off from Cherbourg – some 280 miles from Calais – is thought to have made one of the longest journeys ever before being intercepted off the Hampshire coast.
A dinghy seized by Belgian law enforcement agencies (Home Office/PA)PA Media
The rare arrival of migrants as far west as Portsmouth sparked angry protests.
Dinghy departures from Belgium meanwhile reportedly spiked earlier this year, but have been far less common than those from France in recent months.
Speaking about the deal, the Home Secretary said: “This agreement will help UK and Belgian police tighten the net around the criminal gangs behind small boat crossings.
Belgian interior minister Bernard Quintin and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood sign the UK-Belgium Law Enforcement Cooperation Agreement (Stefan Rousseau/PA)PA Wire
“The migrant smuggling trade doesn’t start and stop on the beaches of northern France.
“These gangs operate across borders, so we’ll work with every international partner available to track them down, shut them down and bring them to justice.
“Our efforts are delivering results. Small boat crossings are down significantly. But we know there is much more to do.
Discarded life jackets at Eastney Point, near Eastney Beach, Portsmouth, following a protest after people thought to be migrants were brought into the harbour (PA)PA Wire
“I will do whatever it takes to bear down on these vile criminals and bring them to justice.”
Before the new deal, certain information exchanges needed judicial approval before intelligence could be shared, the Home Office said.
It could also help to tackle wider organised crime including drugs and firearms smuggling.
Mr Quintin said: “Belgium and the United Kingdom are neighbouring countries and friendly nations.
“We have close operational police cooperation, which has already delivered very concrete results both on the ground and in investigations.
“Our shared ambition is to continue working together to combat migrant smuggling and drug-related organised crime, which operate on both sides of our borders and exploit human misery.
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“This text strengthens our tools to fight these crimes together, with ever greater effectiveness.”
Joint enforcement activity between the two countries has already led to more than 50 arrests linked to migrant smuggling, the Home Office said.
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