Devon and Cornwall 'at risk from people smuggling'

Det Supt Alex Doughty said five recent suspected people smuggling incidents were "probably the tip of the iceberg"

Police are asking people to report any signs of people smuggling activity on the coast along the south-west of England.

Det Supt Alex Doughty, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said there had been five suspected people smuggling incidents across the force area in the three months to July.

She said that number was "probably the tip of the iceberg" and she wanted the public to "be alive to" the vulnerability of the region's coastline.

The force also said it was working with the Crimestoppers charity to raise awareness about the signs to look out for.

Det Supt Doughty is responsible for coordinating activity against illegal immigration in Devon and Cornwall.

She said the number of recorded suspected incidents of people smuggling had remained "fairly consistent" in the two-and-a-half years that she had been doing the job.

But she described the extent of the crime type as a "known unknown", adding she wanted to encourage people to report any suspicious behaviour.

"We see a lot in the media about immigration incidents in the South East, but... we have these 730 miles [1,175km] of beautiful coastline and, actually, we're quite vulnerable here as well" she said.

Start Bay in south Devon where a suspected people smuggling incident was reported at Slapton Sands in June 2022

There have been a number of high-profile confirmed cases in recent years in both counties.

In 2020, four men were jailed for bringing 29 Vietnamese nationals into Newlyn, Cornwall, on a 42ft yacht.

In 2021, two people were jailed for attempting to smuggle eight Albanians on a 27ft yacht which beached near Teignmouth in Devon.

There have also been charges made in relation to suspected incidents.

It was alleged that at least 10 migrants were smuggled across the English Channel to Slapton Sands in Devon in June 2022.

In July 2023, a number of suspected victims of people smuggling were brought to shore at Mothecombe Beach, near Kingsbridge in Devon.

The National Crime Agency said the incidents at Slapton Sands and at Mothecombe had been linked and a trial was expected to take place in February 2025.

National Coastwatch station manager Andy Westwood said he and his colleagues looked for people who were not wearing 'the uniform of the sea'

The station manager of the Froward Point National Coastwatch station, which monitors Slapton Sands, estimated that he and his colleagues would see unusual activity "two or three times a month".

Andy Westwood said this would include boats coming across the English Channel with "an unusual number of people on", and also those with people on board "not dressed as you would expect mariners to be dressed".

He said any suspicious activity was reported to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, but that people smuggling activity was "not something which [was] obviously becoming more prevalent".

He said: "When you see people who might be wearing balaclavas, for instance, you might think: 'Ah, that's odd.'

"It's things out of the normal that first attracts your attention."

'People being unloaded'

Karen MacDonald, regional manager for Crimestoppers, said she was looking for people to be "a little bit more alert" as to what they saw on coasts and in marinas.

Asked what people should look for, she said: "Maybe a boat that's arriving at the same time or at unusual times."

"Maybe you're seeing people being unloaded off the back of a boat onto a landing craft."

Ms MacDonald said it was important people took action because of the vulnerability of those being exploited by people smuggling gangs.

Det Supt Doughty said it was "very, very difficult" to say why people might choose the take the longer route across the channel.

She said: "There are international organised crime groups who are facilitating this and we don't know what they tell people.

"The picture that we've got is definitely not complete and that's why we need to know more about it."