Home Secretary vows to smash organised crime as 59,000 gangsters wreak havoc across UK
THE Home Secretary announced a new crackdown on organised crime as it was disclosed 59,000 gangsters are wreaking havoc across the UK and draining the nation’s coffers by billions each year.
Cabinet Minister James Cleverly told The Sun smashing the organised crime gangs is a “vital part of our mission” and that the Government is doubling funding to disrupt people smugglers and investing millions in policing.
Under the new strategy, a new policing tactic dubbed “Clear, Hold, Build” will be rolled out to every police force in England and Wales by next spring.
The three-step approach involves initial enforcement to crush criminal networks, maintaining safety, and then empowering communities to address crime’s root causes .
Through new powers in the Criminal Justice Bill, items used by criminal gangs, such as 3D printed firearms components, will also be banned.
And the Government will back UK police with a further £5 million to help them step up their response to organised immigration crime, including work by the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit.
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Mr Cleverly said: “Serious and organised crime touches every corner of our country.
"It affects everyone, even if we are not aware of it. These gangs only deal in human misery.
“Whether it is peddling drugs that destroy families, swindling people out of their hard-earned money or the vulnerable falling victim to appalling abuse, too many lives have been affected by this criminality.
“Taking down these organised crime gangs is a vital part of our mission.
That is why we are doubling funding to disrupt the people smugglers’ and investing millions in UK policing to enhance their response to organised immigration crime.”
According to the National Crime Agency, there are at least 59,000 people in the UK involved in serious and organised crime, costing the UK at least £47billion each year.