Week of police action against organised immigration crime

A total of 11 arrests were made and 27 businesses visited in Wiltshire as part of a national week of action targeting organised immigration crime.

Officers working in conjunction with Immigration Enforcement, Trading Standards and HMRC visited numerous car washes, restaurants, vape shops, convenience stores and nail salons across the county, disrupting organised immigration crime and identifying and safeguarding vulnerable individuals.

In total, the police report, 39 individuals were interacted with and 11 arrests were made by immigration colleagues, while 82 pieces of intelligence were submitted.

In Swindon, Kubus Polski Sklep in Manchester Road was closed for three months after £15,000-worth of illicit tobacco was seized from a residential premises above the store and a linked vehicle.

The Roads Policing Unit also conducted two days of activity on the M4, targeting unsafe vehicles and the use of fraudulent documents by drivers, which is often a feature of organised immigration crime.

The activity was part of a nationwide week of action by police and Immigration Enforcement codenamed Operation Lockstream, focused on disrupting activity linked to organised immigration crime.

Nationally, the operation saw police and Immigration Enforcement make 362 arrests - with 57 of those known to have entered the UK by small boats. Officers also seized over £1m in cash, over £700,000 in illegal tobacco, vapes and cigarettes, 92 cars and 31 e-bikes.

Wiltshire Police Detective Chief Inspector Megan Elkins, based in the Intel department, said: “This was a successful week of multi-agency action targeting those who look to cause harm through Organised Immigration Crime in our communities.

“We know the community have significant concerns around this type of criminality, which involves the illegal entry or exit of people to and from the UK and enables people to stay in the UK illegally, often under exploitative circumstances.

“It also fuels other criminal activity, including county lines and other drug trafficking, modern slavery, human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.

“Organised immigration crime is often hidden in plain sight, and we are urging the public to report anything that doesn’t feel right in businesses on their streets, or if they are concerned about someone’s welfare.”

Spotting the signs of potential organised immigration crime exploitation can be difficult, and the force says things to look out for are:

- No access to ID documents.

- Physical or psychological abuse.

- Appearing frightened and avoiding eye contact.

- Debt bonded – paid less than minimum wage/ not paid.  

- Transported to and from work in vans, often in groups.  

- Being picked up and dropped off to work at unusual times.  

- Working very long hours.

- Wearing the same clothes every day and few personal belongings.  

- Poor accommodation/overcrowding.

- No formal contract of employment.

- Businesses that only take cash.

- Inadequate work equipment.

- Often accompanied/ chaperoned.

- Being spoken for.

- May not know their own address.

- Poor language skills.  

If people see something that doesn’t look right, or if are worried about someone, they should report to their local police force online or by calling 101. In an emergency they should call 999 and in non-emergency situations 101.

Concerns can also be reported via the Home Office endorsed charity Stop the Traffick at https://stopthetraffik.org/report-an-incident/ or Crimestoppers at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ and on 0800 555 111.