C OMM 11
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
It's time for action
Following the tragic discovery of 58 corpses in the back of a trailer at Dover, everyone suddenly has a view on how to stop the international trade in illegal immigrants. But assurances from Home Secretary Jack Straw that the government is intent on helping to crack down on the traffickers behind this evil business will ring hollow to innocent companies and drivers who've been fined £2,000 a head for stowaways found in their vehicles.
Fines are appropriate when applied to those who can be shown to have committed offences knowingly; anything else is just raising revenue. If Straw is really serious about helping to stop this repulsive trade in human cargo, he must establish proper vehide inspection facilities at Dover. He must find the money to invest in extra immigration officials. And he must ensure that those officials inspect far more of the vehides coming into Britain.
Stopping the gangs behind this global trade will be a long, slow process. But making sure we catch more of the stowaways would quiddy put them off.
Catching more stowaways would also help support and protect innocent hauliers who are as much victims of these traffickers as anyone else. So come on Straw, we've heard your fine words—now let's see some meaningful action.
• Are we facing a summer of discontent? A number of protests against fuel duty are planned and you only have to look at the concessions won via protests in Portugal, Greece and Italy to see why—protests work! CM urges all its readers to participate wherever they can do so lawfully.