Mobile seizure powers launch in UK crackdown on people smugglers
New UK laws allow officers to seize SIM cards and mobiles to gather intelligence on smuggling operators
Mobile phones and SIM cards will be seized from migrants without needing to arrest them from Monday as part of UK efforts to tackle Channel crossings and people smugglers.
Officers will begin taking electronic devices from people at Manston processing centre in Kent in the southeast of England, with technology on site to download data from them in a bid to gather intelligence on people smugglers.
The new powers for police agencies are hoped to speed up investigations and come after the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act became law in December.
Border Security Minister Alex Norris said: “We promised to restore order and control to our borders which means taking on the people smuggling networks behind this deadly trade.
“That is exactly why we are implementing robust new laws with powerful offences to intercept, disrupt and dismantle these vile gangs faster than ever before and cut off their supply chains.
“These operational measures sit alongside sweeping reforms to the system, to make it less attractive for migrants to come here illegally and remove and deport people faster.”