Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) is a persistent and evolving threat, driven by criminal gangs who are responsible for a variety of crimes.  This includes the illegal smuggling of people into the UK, with criminal groups exploiting vulnerable people and charging large sums of money for their illegal services. OIC also involves enabling people to stay in the UK illegally.

OIC puts lives at risk by posing a significant risk to those looking to come to the UK illegally, particularly in the way people are transported across borders.

Criminals involved in immigration crime operate in various ways. Some may act alone or be part of a small group, whilst others form extensive global networks with members based in several countries to facilitate illegal migration.

The revenue the groups make is often used to fund other forms of criminality and many use violence to maintain control of migrants or territory.

False identity documents are a key enabler of OIC, and wealthier illegal migrants often enter the UK using false documents which they have bought.

The key threats from OIC are:

• Facilitating the illegal entry of people by land, sea or air.
• Production and supply of fraudulent documents.
• Abuse of legitimate ways to enter and remain in the UK such as illegal working or marriage abuse.

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act (BSAIA) 2025 looks to strengthen border security, manage migration and asylum processes, and help combat organised immigration crime. It also provides easier data sharing between law enforcement and partner agencies.

New legislative powers and offences are:

Section 13 - offence of supplying articles for use in immigration crime and includes making an offer to supply or being concerned in the supply. This enables prosecutions to be brought against those who engage in supplying articles to assist illegal entry or arrival into the UK subject of section 24 and section 25 Immigration Act 1971.

Section 14 - offence relates to handling articles for use in immigration crime and includes arranging to receive, remove or dispose and assist another to remove or dispose of an article. This offence enables prosecutions to be brought against those who engage in any form of handling articles that are intended or were used to assist illegal entry or arrival into the UK subject of sections 24 and section 25 Immigration Act 1971.

Both offences have a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment.

Section 16 - offence of collecting information for use in immigration crime, enabling prosecutions to be brought against those who collect or make a record of information that can be used by any person organising or preparing for a relevant illegal journey into the UK, whereby the journey concerns the illegal entry or arrival into the UK subject of section 24 Immigration Act 1971.

Section 17 - offence of online advertising of unlawful immigration services. This enables prosecutions to be brought against those who create or cause the creation of any material to promote an unlawful immigration service. This includes publishing material on the internet and social media platforms.

Unlawful immigration services are defined as a service to facilitate the commission of an offence under any of the immigration acts, a breach of immigration law or an offence under the identity documents act 2010.

Both sections 16 and 17 have a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.

Section 21 - offence of endangering another during a sea crossing to the UK and in doing so amended the section 24 (E1) Immigration Act 1971 illegal entry/arrival offence to become section 24 (E1A). This enables prosecutions to be brought against those who make an illegal journey across the sea from France, Belgium or the Netherlands resulting in their illegal entry or arrival into the UK and whilst they have made or are making the journey it can be evidenced that they did an act that caused, or created a risk of the death or serious personal injury to another person.

Personal injury means physical or psychological

The maximum sentence for this offence is six years’ imprisonment.

As part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Serious and Organised Crime Portfolio, the OIC Domestic Taskforce supports operational police activity across the UK through partnership working.

The complexities of OIC, the networks involved and the reach beyond our shores, means the Taskforce cannot work alone. A wide range of law enforcement partners coordinate activity and share resources and intelligence to help disrupt OIC in the UK. This multi-agency, national response makes our borders more secure, protects vulnerable people and identifies and dismantles the threat from organised criminal networks.

Our Regional Co-ordinators are embedded in the Regional Organised Crime Unit Network to help tackle the complex, cross-border threat of OIC using a range of tactics that identify and disrupt criminality.

And we collaborate with colleagues on a range of operational and intelligence led activity; from the:

• National Crime Agency
• Home Office
• Border Force
• Border Security Command
• Immigration Enforcement

The Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce (OICDT) reports into the national Serious and Organised Crime Portfolio hosted by the National Police Chiefs’ Council. The Portfolio is led by Deputy Chief Constable Wendy Gunney.

Funding is allocated from the Home Office, with national border security command leadership boards providing direction and the OICDT Senior Leadership Team focusing on delivery of agreed business plan priorities and objectives.

Regular update meetings are held with the Home Office and the OICDT Unit Commander, Detective Chief Superintendent, John Griffith.