New strategy to tackle serious organised crime

Plans to create a more hostile environment for organised criminals, seize their assets and shut down their businesses were part of a strategy to step up the fight against serious organised crime published by Home Secretary Alan Johnson today.

The new strategy, ‘Extending Our Reach: A Comprehensive Approach to Serious Organised Crime’, follows an assessment of how criminals are exploiting new global trends and outlines new approaches for the Government and law enforcement agencies.

Serious and organised crime is a multi-billion pound global business: trafficking in drugs and people, fraud and financial crime cost the UK Exchequer alone in the region of £30 billion a year.

Whilst the UK’s approach to serious and organised crime is one of the most sophisticated in the world, the threat is constantly evolving and global trends are creating opportunities for organised criminals that didn’t exist five years ago. In particular, there is an increasing link between organised crime and weak or failing states, where it easier for criminals to operate without detection or disruption and the use of newer technology to commit traditional crimes like fraud or theft by attacking IT networks.

To keep pace with the evolving threat, the strategy includes plans to:

* Create a more hostile environment for organised criminals by using tax powers to pin down elusive criminals, shutting down ‘front’ businesses like saunas and massage parlours used for criminal ends and seeking to block the use of mobile phones in prisons;

* Target the proceeds of crime by going after the assets of every organised criminal under investigation and rolling out police-led Regional Asset Recovery Teams to every part of the country;

* Investigate the UK-based assets of overseas criminals; and

* Step up the approach to international organised crime through better co-ordination overseas to target the emergence of networks in weak and failing states.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said:

“The UK is known by international partners as a world leader in the fight against serious organised crime. However, the threat continues to evolve and it is right that we update and strengthen our response to match it.

“This strategy goes further than ever before in taking the fight to organised criminals– from the hard-to-reach criminal bosses to the lower-level players that are harming our communities.

“Today we are sending a clear message to these networks that we are doing everything in our power to stop them threatening our safety, damaging our communities and subverting our economy.”

The strategy will see new regional asset recovery teams created to cover the South East, South West, East Midlands and Eastern regions, taking the total to nine teams across the country.

Today’s new approach will also arm the Government and law enforcement agencies to respond effectively as criminals seek to take advantage of the economic downturn through loan-sharking and counterfeit goods.

As well as a new emphasis on using all powers available to tackle organised criminals, the strategy sets out plans to create a new strategic body within the Home Office to drive the proposals forward, scrutinise performance and take the lead across the Government.

(HMRC) Progress in the fight to tackle tobacco smuggling

The Government has today taken another significant step in the fight against tobacco smuggling as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Angela Eagle today signed anti-smuggling agreements with two international tobacco manufacturers.

The agreements with Philip Morris International (PMI) and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) - complement the legislation that the Government introduced in 2006, requiring all tobacco manufacturers to help prevent smuggling through careful control of their supply chains.

The Exchequer Secretary/Angela Eagle, said: "These agreements are an important new element in the fight against tobacco smuggling. In the last decade we have halved the size of the illicit cigarette market in the UK and by signing these agreements, we are demonstrating that we are determined to continue working with tobacco manufacturers to tackle smuggling."

Since the UK's first Tackling Tobacco Smuggling strategy was published in 2000, HM Revenue & Customs and the UK Border Agency have:

* reduced the proportion of illicit cigarettes from 21% in 2000 to 13%;
* seized more than 14 billion cigarettes and more than 1000 tonnes of hand rolling tobacco in the UK and abroad;
* broken up 370 criminal gangs involved in large-scale smuggling;
* prosecuted more than 2,000 people and issued more than £35m worth of confiscation orders.

(Home Office) Government keeps work restrictions for Eastern Europeans

Strict working restrictions for Eastern Europeans will not be scrapped, the Government announced today.

The Worker Registration Scheme enables the Government to monitor the work A8 nationals do, and where in the country they do it - and so better plan for local services and ensure migration is working for the British labour market and the country as a whole.

Maintaining the restrictions also means A8 nationals will not have full access to benefits until they have been working and paying tax for at least 12 consecutive months.

The decision comes following independent, expert advice from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on the benefits of the scheme to the British labour market. Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said:

"Migration only works if it benefits the British people, and we are determined to make sure that is what happens.

"That is why I am delighted to announce that we are keeping in place restrictions which mean we can continue to count how many people are coming here, and which limit Eastern Europeans' access to benefits."

The number of Eastern Europeans coming here to work has fallen dramatically. In the three months to December last year there were 29,000 applications from workers from these countries - down from 53,000 in the same period in 2007. Nevertheless, the Government is determined to do everything it can to ensure migration is controlled and works for the country as a whole.

According to Home Offce figures, the majority of workers coming from the A8 countries in 2008 were young - 78 per cent were aged between 18 and 34 - and only 11 per cent stated they had dependants living with them in the UK when they registered.

Also today, the Government is delivering on its promise to be tougher on European criminals and remove those that cause harm to our communities.

From today the deportation referral threshold for European criminals will be cut from 24 months imprisonment to 12 months for drugs, violent and sexual offences. This means these offenders will be automatically considered for deportation.

Mr Woolas said:

"We are determined to remove people that harm our communities - wherever they are from. That is why we are making it easier to kick out European criminals and stop them from returning.

"In 2007 we removed over 500 European nationals. By reducing the threshold for deportation, we will ensure that we can remove even more."

Tough new powers to remove Europeans who are not exercising their Treaty Rights - by working, studying or by being self-sufficient - were also introduced today. This will mean that anyone from Europe who is not playing by the rules will not be allowed to stay.