Immigration Minister visits Dover port
Immigration Minister Mark Harper has praised front-line officers
at the port of Dover for the way they are tackling cross-border
crime.
During a visit to the Eastern Docks on Tuesday, accompanied by
Dover MP Charlie Elphicke, Mr Harper saw the range of weapons which
Border Force officers use to combat drug, tobacco and alcohol
smuggling and illegal immigrants, from the latest scanning
technology to the tried and tested sniffer dogs.
He watched officers at work and was shown vehicles where illegal
consignments had been found resulting in criminals being arrested,
prosecuted and jailed.
“I have been very impressed,” he said. “I have seen the volumes of
freight and passenger traffic passing through Dover which is a very
important port in the UK.
“I have also seen some of the big successes which the officers have
achieved.”
He was speaking the day after a woman from Wigan who helped her
smuggler husband launder thousands of pounds of drug money was
jailed for 15 months, after an investigation by the Border
Force.
“They are doing some really good work at operational level and
getting offenders put in prison which is where they should be,”
said Mr Harper.
“Keeping Britain’s border secure is a top priority for this
government, and Border Force officers at Dover are at the front
line in stopping drugs, firearms and other harmful goods from
reaching Britain’s streets.”
Full story in this week's Dover Mercury.
05/03/13
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