Logistics UK have slammed plans by the UK Government to severely fine and punish drivers and hauliers who have unknowingly transported illegal migrants into the UK.
Last week, the UK Government released a policy statement detailing how it plans to go about preventing illegal immigrants from reaching the UK via truck. The plans include longer prison sentences, stiffer fines and better security.
Aside from noticeably increasing the standard penalties (currently £2,000-£4,000 per person), the government plans introduce a new penalty for failure to secure a vehicle – regardless of whether an illegal migrant is found onboard or not.
There are also plans to expand the scheme to entail levying a penalty on all hauliers where a migrant is found in their vehicle, regardless of load security. In addition, hauliers guilty of regular breaches could lose their accreditation.
In a statement reacting to the plan, Chris Yarsley, Policy Manager at Logistics UK, urged the government to recognise that drivers are also often the victims of people smuggling gangs:
People smuggling and clandestine attempts by desperate individuals to enter the UK are a humanitarian crisis which governments need to address on both sides of the Channel. The facilitation of illegal immigration into the UK by criminal gangs is a significant challenge for the haulage industry, with desperate individuals and organised crime groups actively targeting the vehicles of professional drivers and hauliers. Operators remain determined to play their part in bringing the organised crime organisations which prey on these innocent migrants to justice, but the government must recognise that responsible operators and drivers are themselves the victims of these groups. It is vital that government recognises the regulated, industry standard schemes already in place, such as AEOS and Customs Seals which demonstrate that hauliers have implemented high security measures.
Mr Yarsley then went on to say that in the event truckers are not protected, yet more drivers will give up the profession – making the current driver shortage even worse:
Logistics UK strongly opposes the government’s proposal to expand the existing penalty scheme to any haulier found with an illegal migrant in their vehicle, regardless of their compliance with load security standards or accreditation schemes. When an individual takes all reasonable measures to mitigate the risk of illegal entrants, it is unfair to deprive the vehicle operator of any defence and simply issue an automatic penalty, the cost of which will be prohibitive for many smaller operators. The detection systems used in ports are not themselves fully effective in locating people hidden on board a vehicle,; it is unrealistic to expect hauliers and drivers, who are neither trained security staff nor immigration officials, to outperform government agencies. These proposals could have a significant impact on supply chain operations by deterring businesses from bringing goods into the UK, in addition to reducing the attractiveness of HGV driving as a career option, at a time when the industry is suffering deeply from a worker shortage.
You can read our report on the government’s plans to prevent illegal immigrants reaching the UK in trucks here.
Photo credit: Cambridgeshire Constabulary