Police launch nationwide crackdown on organised immigration crime

Law enforcement agencies across England and Wales have joined forces to target organised gangs behind immigration crime in the first operation of its kind, as part of a major national crackdown.

The coordinated effort, known as Operation Lockstream, was led by the Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) Domestic Taskforce and ran throughout September. The operation saw over 5,500 people questioned, 68 arrests (including 51 for alleged immigration offences), and 34 refusals of entry to the UK. Authorities also seized 36 false documents, conducted more than 1,200 searches of vehicles, vessels and flights, and recovered over £216,000 through cash seizures, fines and penalties.

The operation brought together multiple agencies — including the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), Home Office, Border Force, National Crime Agency (NCA), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Immigration Enforcement and the Joint Maritime Security Centre — in a unified approach to tackling organised immigration crime.

Launched in May 2025, the OIC Domestic Taskforce was established to transform how UK police respond to organised immigration crime networks operating domestically. This type of criminality is often intertwined with drug trafficking, modern slavery and human trafficking, with offenders exploiting a range of transport methods, including small boats, air travel and freight routes.

Operation Lockstream’s activities spanned coastlines, ports, roads and airports, with four distinct “pillars” of action focused on different aspects of criminality each week. These included:

• Roadside checks on the M1 targeting vehicles suspected of links to illegal immigration or worker exploitation.
• Patrols along the Devon and Cornwall coastlines to detect clandestine entries into the UK.
• Airport deployments to identify cash smuggling and the misuse of Common Travel Area routes.
• Operations against cash-based and illicit businesses used to launder criminal proceeds or employ illegal workers.

Deputy Chief Constable Wendy Gunney, who leads the OIC Taskforce, said the purpose of the initiative is to “create a hostile environment for people who come to the UK to commit any form of criminality.”

She added: “Organised crime groups see migrants as money-making commodities, not as human beings, and our aim is to target and disrupt their efforts. Operation Lockstream has laid the foundations for this to happen; with UK law enforcement agencies working together it has leveraged an integrated approach to tackle inland organised immigration crime.”

DCC Gunney praised the collaborative effort, describing it as “a huge endeavour by all officers, staff and agencies involved,” and said the intelligence gathered will help authorities better understand criminal networks and their tactics.

“As Operation Lockstream continues,” she added, “people will continue to be identified and brought to justice as we collectively crack down on organised criminality.”

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