Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott joined the operation
Kent Police has been working with partner agencies to disrupt organised immigration crime in the county.
On Wednesday 23 March 2022, officers from the Roads Policing Unit were joined by representatives from Border Force and the National Crime Agency who work within the Gateway Multi-Agency Hub in Folkestone.
The team carried out a targeted operation, which focused on heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) travelling through the county.
A total of 10 people were stopped in relation to concerns around organised immigration crime and £6,500 worth of Fixed Penalty Notices were issued near to Junction 11 of the M20.
Two vehicles were seized, one for not having vehicle tax, MOT or insurance and the other for being overweight. A further nine people were stopped and given advice on how to secure their HGVs to prevent clandestine entry.
Officers were also joined by Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott throughout the operation.
Roads Policing Chief Inspector Craig West said: ‘Joint operations like this play an important part in targeting motorists who choose to ignore the law and participate in organised immigration crime.
‘Although most HGV drivers do drive responsibly there is still a small minority who don’t. This puts lives at risk and we will continue to carry out enforcement action with our partners to disrupt this activity.
‘We will also take every opportunity we can to educate drivers on safety and security to ensure they don’t unwittingly break the law.’