UK, Albania to share criminal data in bid to curb Channel crossings

Deal comes as security officials from the UK warn that Albanian criminal gangs are using the high-profile Channel route to transport migrants to Britain. (File/AFP)

• Balkan country will station 2 police officers in Dover under new deal

LONDON: The UK Border Force is urgently seeking a criminal record-sharing deal with Albania amid a surge in migrant Channel crossings, with 60 percent of arrivals believed to originate from the Balkan country.
The agreement, which would see two Albanian police officials present in Dover to oversee criminal checks, is now under discussion by Albania’s parliamentary commission, with expected approval to come next week, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The UK and Albania are set to share criminal and biometric data under the new agreement.
Albanian Deputy Interior Minister Andi Mahila said: “We have to fight together with the UK on this. This memorandum is one instrument of this fight.”
It comes as security officials from the UK warn that Albanian criminal gangs are using the high-profile Channel route to transport new members to Britain.
Officials believe that the proposed deal would allow the rapid deportation of criminals, with Albanian police officers able to provide crucial background checks using fingerprint data.
On Sept. 12 alone, more than 600 successfully made the journey from France to Britain.
The overall crossing figures for 2022 have already exceeded the entirety of 2020, with 28,561 people making the journey.
In 2020, 8,466 migrants were recorded as having reached UK shores.
Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke said: “The numbers of arrivals are deeply concerning. It’s vital to see the small boats crisis brought to an end as the seas will become colder and rougher as we head into autumn and winter.
“Action is needed now to avoid further tragic loss of life on the English Channel.”
Refugee Council CEO Enver Solomon said: “With record numbers of people crossing the Channel this year, we are seeing how the government’s policies enshrined in the recent Nationality and Borders Act and the Rwanda deal are doing absolutely nothing to deter desperate people jumping on boats because they do nothing to address the reasons people come.
“We need to immediately start having a grown-up conversation with France and the EU about sharing responsibility.
“We need a fair and humane asylum system, which means well thought-out, long-term solutions that address why people are forced from their homes and [provide] them with safe routes to the UK.”