LABOUR today unveils its plans to overhaul policing and sort out Britain’s borders.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has vowed to “rebuild neighbourhood policing” and crack down on shoplifting, phone theft and anti-social behaviour.
An extra £500million has been allocated to put more bobbies on the beat and restore the link between communities and local cops.
Meanwhile, new Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt yesterday told of his ambitious plan to “turn the tide” of Channel migrants for the first time.
Writing in The Sun six weeks into the job, the chief of Sir Keir Starmer’s fresh unit reveals how he will work with international banks and social media companies to catch the people-smugglers.
Operations to disrupt their supply chain of equipment, including dinghies and life jackets, are also under way, with Hewitt promising to “continually attack” their vile business model.
Mr Hewitt is recruiting 100 additional specialist intelligence and investigation officers and increasing the UK’s presence in EU law enforcement agency Europol.
Mr Hewitt said: “With small-boat crossings to the UK ongoing, organised criminal networks exploiting vulnerable people, and the tragic loss of lives in the Channel, people rightly demand the Government gets a grip. I’m determined we will turn the tide.”
Border Security Command will receive £150million in government funding over the next two years.
Yesterday, Ms Cooper used a speech at a London conference to announce an overhaul of Britain’s “outdated” and “badly eroded” police with new targets for underperforming forces and centralised units for IT and forensics.
She vowed yesterday: “Neighbourhood policing will be rebuilt.”
My job is to get a firm grip
By Martin Hewitt, Border Security Commander
WHEN I took on the role of Border Security Commander I was under no illusions about the challenges that lay ahead.
If we are to prevent people from getting into those packed, flimsy vessels that are effectively death traps, and secure our border as the UK public expects, we have to work with other countries to ensure that prevention happens long before migrants even reach French shores.
We will be working with the banking sector, with social media companies to stop the advertising and we will continually attack their equipment supply lines.