Port immigration offences surge

Nearly two million people pass through the ports each year

Police have caught more than 1,000 people later identified as illegal immigrants at ports in south west Scotland over the past four years.

Numbers of foreign nationals detained at Stranraer and Cairnryan have more than doubled between 2004 and 2007.

Crimes including people trafficking for the sex trade have also been detected.

A spokesman for Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary said the figures should deter people from trying to use the ports without the proper documents.

Police say the ports are the fourth busiest points of entry to Scotland after airports in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

About 1.9m passengers and 900,000 vehicles pass through the facilities each year.

People from 67 different countries have been stopped by police and subsequently identified as illegal immigrants.

IMMIGRATION OFFENDERS AT STRANRAER PORTS UNIT 2004 - 117 2005 - 304 2006 - 327 2007 - 259 Total - 1,007

There were 117 such cases in 2004 but that rose to 259 last year.

The total number detected over the four-year period is 1,007.

Among the nationalities without proper documents were people from Pakistan, Sudan, Iraq, Romania, Nigeria and Afghanistan.

Det Ch Insp Steven Carr, who works at the ports unit, said it was always looking out for any immigration offences.

"Our primary function is protection of UK security," he said.

"But during the course of our work we come across other offences."

These include drugs and motoring crime as well as immigration issues.

"The staff here are multi-skilled because there is a multitude of offences," said DCI Carr.

The police effort is backed up by three officers seconded to the UK Border Agency (UKBA).

Good relationship

"They have the power of immigration officers up to the point of sending somebody back to their own country," he explained.

Police believe that thanks to that facility and a good working relationship with ferry operators in Dumfries and Galloway they have been able to foil organised crime.

"We have reported a number of people to the fiscal for the facilitating of people into the UK," said DCI Carr.

The smallest force in the UK still gets to deal with the biggest issues Det Ch Insp Steven Carr

"It is a well-documented process that organised crime groups make a lot of money out of charging people extortionate amounts to come into the UK.

"Organised crime groups are very proficient at it - in many ways it is safer than drugs or other forms of contraband."

The force has also been part of a number of national operations.

"We were also involved in Operation Pentameter on the trafficking of people for use in the sex trade," said DCI Carr.

At least a couple of young women who police believe were destined for prostitution were discovered by the Stranraer ports unit.

Dumfries and Galloway Police believe it demonstrates that the region's ferry terminals are not a "soft touch" for illegal immigration.

"The smallest force in the UK still gets to deal with the biggest issues," said DCI Carr.

"If you come through the ports of Stranraer and Cairnryan you are taking a risk - we monitor the ports 24 hours a day.

"You will be found out, detected and reported or handed over to the UKBA."