UK and Turkey strike deal to ‘disrupt small boats supply chain’

The UK and Turkey have agreed to a new partnership in a bid to target organised immigration crime.

A statement from the Home Office said UK and Turkish law enforcement will jointly step up operations to “disrupt the supply chain of boat parts”, and will involve the UK deploying more officers to Turkey to stop people smuggling gangs.

The deal includes support from the UK for a new centre based in Turkey, established by the Turkish National Police, which is designed to tackle the organised immigration crime.

The centre will see collaboration between the two countries’ law enforcement agencies, including closer intelligence sharing between the two countries, which the Home Office says will allow operational staff to “act more quickly on information”.

A new Memorandum of Understanding will allow UK and Turkish authorities to share the customs data, information and intelligence more quickly, with the aim of “disrupting the small boats supply chain”, the statement said.

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Home Secretary Suella Braverman said in a statement: “As I’ve made clear, we must do everything we can to smash the people smuggling gangs and stop the boats.

“Our partnership with Turkey, a close friend and ally, will enable our law enforcement agencies to work together on this international problem and tackle the small boat supply chain.”

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said the two countries will be “intensively sharing intelligence, people and technology” to stop people smuggling gangs, as well to stop the manufacture and supply of of materials used in small boat crossings.

The statement said both countries were bolstering resources as part of the deal.

This partnership comes after Mr Jenrick’s visit to Turkey last month, where he visited the Turkish-Bulgarian Border Check Point at Kapikule – the largest and busiest border crossing point in Europe.

The Government has made the announcement in what it has dubbed its “small boats week”.

The first 15 migrants boarded the Bibby Stockholm yesterday, with 20 part of a legal challenge from Care4Calais.

Others, who are not part of the challenge, have been told they will be “homeless” if they do not move onto the barge by the end of Tuesday.