UK and Iraq sign security deal to curb people-trafficking | Immigration News

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says countries must work together more to combat human trafficking.

The United Kingdom says it has signed a security deal with Iraq to target people-smuggling gangs and strengthen border cooperation, the latest in its efforts to combat illegal migration.

“There are gangs that profit from crossing small dangerous boats that operate from northern France, Germany, across Europe, to the Kurdistan region of Iraq and beyond,” British home secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement on Thursday.

“The rise of organized immigration crime around the world means that even countries thousands of miles apart must work closely together,” he added.

“Organized criminals operate across borders, so law enforcement needs to work across borders,” he said during a visit to Iraq and its Kurdistan region.

As part of the agreements, London will provide 300,000 pounds ($380,000) for Iraqi law enforcement training in border security.

It will focus on fighting organized immigration and narcotics crime as well as increasing capacity and capacity to strengthen the Iraqi border.

The UK has pledged a further 200,000 pounds ($254,000) to support projects in the Kurdistan region that will “develop skills related to irregular migration and border security, including a new team”.

Other measures within the agreements include a social media campaign “to combat false information and myths posted by traffickers on the Internet”.

Cooper’s Home Office said the security agreement was “the biggest initiative ever to tackle organized crime and people-trafficking between the two countries.”