Government uses £75m from scrapped Rwanda plan to Border Security Command as part of 'autumn crime crackdown'
17 September 2024, 16:49
The government has diverted up to £75m from the discarded Rwanda plan to fund the new Border Security Command in response to an immigration "crime crackdown".
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
According to home secretary Yvette Cooper, the agency will "deliver a major overhaul and upgrade in law enforcement against smugglers and trafficking gangs to boost our border security."
The cash boost will be used on new covert cameras and monitoring technology, the Home Office said, and will also fund the recruitment of new staff in the Border Security Command (BSC).
In addition, the money will help set up a new unit to "improve intelligence collection across UK police forces and information flows to partners", as well as increasing the numbers of prosecutors working in the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Rwanda scheme was set up by the previous Conservative government in an attempt to dissuade migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats.
But when Sir Keir Starmer was elected Prime Minister in early July, he scrapped the plan.
Soon after, Ms Cooper announced an audit of the monies sent to Kigali as the Labour administration attempts to find ways to save or regain the cash committed under the Conservatives.
According to one estimate, by April 2027, the total cost of the Rwanda scheme would have amounted to approximately half a billion pounds.
The Border Security Command was a major feature of Labour's election manifesto, and before polling day Sir Keir pledged to send approximately £75 million a year to the scheme.
The Home Secretary said: "Criminal gangs are getting away with undermining our border security and putting lives at risk.
"The Border Security Command will deliver a major overhaul and upgrade in law enforcement against smugglers and trafficking gangs to boost our border security.
"State of the art technology and enhanced intelligence capabilities will ensure we are using every tool at our disposal to dismantle this vile trade."
As part of this BSC uplift, the National Crime Agency (NCA), the police and other law enforcement partners would receive considerable funding boosts, as part of efforts to dismantle the people-smuggling gangs in the Channel.
Rob Jones, director general of operations at the NCA said that funding will "allow us to improve and extend our technology, data exploitation, and capacity-building both internationally and in the UK."
