UK, Turkiye strike deal to ‘disrupt and dismantle’ human smuggling gangs

The UK and Turkiye have struck an agreement to “disrupt and dismantle” human smuggling and trafficking gangs across Europe, as well as the supply of small boat parts.

The British Government announced its support for establishing an operational “centre of excellence” by Turkiye’s national police last night, which aims to strengthen collaboration between Turkiye-based staff of the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), Home Office Intelligence and their Turkish counterparts.

According to UK Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, who visited Turkiye last month and spoke to GB News yesterday, the partnership was backed by funding which he left unspecified, saying it is “not primarily about money” but the sharing of information between both countries and their enforcement agencies.

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As part of the agreement, a memorandum of understanding was reportedly also struck to facilitate the rapid exchange of customs data and intelligence.

Targeting the supply of small boat parts and components is also a key goal of the partnership, with the Home Office stating that transporting hundreds of such parts each year is a “vital element of smugglers’ tactics.”

The partnership reportedly does not include a deal to return failed Turkish asylum seekers, the second largest group of migrants crossing the English Channel on small boats after Afghans.

The development comes amid increased efforts by the British Government to tackle the waves of migrants who cross the channel, particularly focusing on the human smuggling gangs that organise such crossings and often demand exploitative payments from migrants.

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