Deal to 'tighten net' around people smugglers agreed by UK and Belgium

A new agreement between the UK and Belgium aims to strengthen their efforts in combating people smuggling. The collaboration will enable police officers from both nations to share intelligence without the need for judicial approval. This development comes as Belgium has become a key logistical hub for people smugglers to conceal boats and engines before they are transported to the French coast for the migrant crossings to the UK.

People smugglers have increasingly taken advantage of Belgium's shores to transport migrants to Britain, especially after stricter controls were imposed along the French coast. This partnership has already resulted in 50 arrests linked to migrant smuggling this year. Last year, a Turkish businessman, Adem Savas, was sentenced to 11 years in jail and fined €400,000 by a Belgian court after a joint investigation by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and Belgian authorities.

Savas, who operated a boat supplier for people-smuggling gangs, charged around £4,000 for each boat, some of which may have been involved in migrant deaths.

The UK Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, emphasized that the new agreement will help tighten the net around criminal gangs behind small-boat crossings. She stressed that the migrant-smuggling trade extends beyond the beaches of northern France, as these gangs operate across borders. The UK and Belgium now intend to work with international partners to track down, dismantle, and bring these criminals to justice.

Despite the 17,281 migrants crossing the English Channel this year, down by nearly 45 percent compared to the same period last year, people smugglers have responded by cramming more migrants onto each boat to maintain their profits. The record number of 230 migrants on a single boat highlights the urgency of addressing this issue.

Recent protests in Portsmouth over the arrival of 140 migrants packed onto a boat, after a 10-hour journey, underscore the ongoing political sensitivity surrounding this problem. The boat, launched in the Bay of the Seine, southwest of Calais, had traveled a longer distance from France, making its journey across the English Channel more challenging.