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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Illegal immigration 'crackdown' | Illegal immigration 'crackdown' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Four hundred and forty police officers are being seconded to help tackle illegal immigration in the UK. | Four hundred and forty police officers are being seconded to help tackle illegal immigration in the UK. |
| They will be among 800 new immigration staff - a 25% increase in total - unveiled by Home Secretary John Reid. | |
| The plans will allow Britons involved in people-smuggling to be arrested, firms to face larger fines, and the public encouraged to report suspects. | The plans will allow Britons involved in people-smuggling to be arrested, firms to face larger fines, and the public encouraged to report suspects. |
| But the Tories said police were "badly needed" on the beat, while the Lib Dems want "new, not redeployed" staff. | |
| The 400 police constables and 40 sergeants moving across to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will be joined by 360 newly-recruited immigration officers. | The 400 police constables and 40 sergeants moving across to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will be joined by 360 newly-recruited immigration officers. |
| "We are very clear that we do not want this to have an impact on police officers' frontline work," a Home Office spokeswoman insisted. | |
| People-trafficking and all its associated evils is one of the fastest-growing and most vicious crimes, yet the government's policy so far has been one of neglect David DavisShadow home secretary | |
| "There won't be any police officers taken off the front line," she said. | "There won't be any police officers taken off the front line," she said. |
| But shadow home secretary David Davis criticised the government's record on the subject. | |
| "Over the last nine years, we have actually seen immigration officers instructed not to arrest illegal immigrants, merely to meet the prime minister's artificial targets on removing failed asylum-seekers." | |
| "People-trafficking and all its associated evils is one of the fastest-growing and most vicious crimes, yet the government's policy so far has been one of neglect." | |
| And for the Liberal Democrats, home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said that "a truly integrated border force" needed more than to "shift police officers away from their current duties". | |
| "The government itself has admitted it would cost £104m to secure every port of entry into this country," he said. | |
| "Why then has John Reid failed to announce any new funding while tens of thousands of pounds a day are wasted on identity cards?" | |
| Crimestoppers | Crimestoppers |
| Under the plans, members of the public will - for the first time - be able to report illegal workers and illegal immigrants using the free Crimestoppers telephone line from 1 January. | Under the plans, members of the public will - for the first time - be able to report illegal workers and illegal immigrants using the free Crimestoppers telephone line from 1 January. |
| The government has already said it was doubling the budget for deportations to nearly £300m, and a bill tackling deportations was included in last week's Queen's Speech. | The government has already said it was doubling the budget for deportations to nearly £300m, and a bill tackling deportations was included in last week's Queen's Speech. |
| And ministers intend to create 650 extra detention spaces for illegal immigrants by the end of 2007. | |
| I'm fearful that's going to lead to discrimination against anybody who looks as though they might be a foreigner Keith BestImmigration Advisory Service | |
| The measures are seen as a response to criticism from political opponents about a perceived failure to deport enough of those identified as being in the UK illegally. | The measures are seen as a response to criticism from political opponents about a perceived failure to deport enough of those identified as being in the UK illegally. |
| There were nearly 5,000 deportations in the last three-month period for which figures were available - a record - but it estimated that 500,000 people remain in the UK illegally. | |
| The idea of penalising businesses did not find favour with the Immigration Advisory Service, which said firms would become "reluctant to recruit anybody". | The idea of penalising businesses did not find favour with the Immigration Advisory Service, which said firms would become "reluctant to recruit anybody". |
| "I'm fearful that's going to lead to discrimination against anybody who looks as though they might be a foreigner," chief executive Keith Best told BBC Radio Five Live. | |