Dangerous criminals to be barred from UK as landmark worldwide deal struck

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has welcomed a new agreement with India which will ramp up data sharing between law enforcement and police services

View Image

Dangerous criminals will be barred from the UK after a landmark data sharing deal was agreed with India.

The agreement commits police and law enforcement agencies in the two countries to speed up sending information about criminals. This will mean entry can be refused quicker, while their asylum claims will be barred, the Foreign Office said.

Those who re-offend face being given tougher sentences. It means British and Indian authorities will have more powers to identify people with a long criminal history in each other’s country.

The UK-India agreement has been hailed as a breakthrough in tackling illegal migration. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told The Mirror: “Illegal immigration is an international problem, and it will take international cooperation to tackle it.

READ MORE: Major knife crime plan unveiled to stop kids who carry blades slipping through netREAD MORE: Huge change to political donation rules to close loopholes on foreign cash

“This new agreement will enable us to act more effectively to refuse entry to individuals with a criminal past. That will help strengthen our border security and make our streets safer.

“The partnerships we build abroad make the UK stronger at home.” Existing systems meant it could take 160 days – more than five months – for criminal background requests to be processed.

But India has now committed to providing this information within 20 days. The Foreign Office said that improved access to information about past convictions means dangerous offenders can be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.

Border Security minister Alex Norris said: “It’s through international partnerships, such as this new agreement with India, that we are strengthening our borders by turning away serious offenders and keeping dangerous criminals out of the UK.

Nearly 60,000 migrants have been kicked out of the UK since Labour came to power, with deportations of foreign national offenders – including rapists and murderers – up by 32%. More than 8,700 such criminals have been removed.

The deal with India is the latest international agreement which ministers say will help restore control over the immigration system. Returns deals have been struck with Vietnam, Iraq and France, while nations in the Western Balkans have pledged to work closely with the UK.

And Namibia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have also agreed to take back foreign national offenders from Britain. All three nations have previously been accused of slowing down deportations.

India receives the highest share of UK visit and work visas. Last year two nations launched a campaign in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, aiming to clamp down on fake visas.

And the UK-India vision, agreed between the two countries, includes a commitment to tackling irregular migration.