News Content
FTA likes Whitehall plans to 'improve' fines for people-smuggling truckers
BRITAIN's Freight Transport Association (FTA) has welcomed plans by the British government to "improve" the system of fines, ie, non-criminal "civil penalties" for truckers smuggling migrants into England from France, mostly from Calais.
Fines collected for smuggling migrants last year amounted GBP6.6 million (US$9.3 million), noted Lloyd's Loading List.
The Home Office has launched a six-week "clandestine civil penalty" consultation that "seeks views on whether, and if so how, the regime of fines could be "modernised" and asks what more industry can do to mitigate the risk of clandestine entry to the United Kingdom.Having the offences "civil" rather than "criminal" makes the exacting of heavy fines easier as the prosecution need not prove its case "beyond a reasonable doubt" but on the "balance of probabilities".
In response, the FTA said it was "pleased to see the government working with the freight industry in order to combat illegal immigration", adding that the association "embraced the opportunity to contribute to a newly announced Home Office consultation the scheme that levies financial penalties against operators and drivers when migrants are found aboard their vehicle on entry to the UK?
Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers caught with illegal stowaways onboard their vehicles are fined up to GBP2,000 per clandestine discovered.
Some 40 clandestine migrants a day were estimated to be entering Dover last summer, the FTA said.
Fines collected for smuggling migrants last year amounted GBP6.6 million (US$9.3 million), noted Lloyd's Loading List.
The Home Office has launched a six-week "clandestine civil penalty" consultation that "seeks views on whether, and if so how, the regime of fines could be "modernised" and asks what more industry can do to mitigate the risk of clandestine entry to the United Kingdom.Having the offences "civil" rather than "criminal" makes the exacting of heavy fines easier as the prosecution need not prove its case "beyond a reasonable doubt" but on the "balance of probabilities".
In response, the FTA said it was "pleased to see the government working with the freight industry in order to combat illegal immigration", adding that the association "embraced the opportunity to contribute to a newly announced Home Office consultation the scheme that levies financial penalties against operators and drivers when migrants are found aboard their vehicle on entry to the UK?
Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers caught with illegal stowaways onboard their vehicles are fined up to GBP2,000 per clandestine discovered.
Some 40 clandestine migrants a day were estimated to be entering Dover last summer, the FTA said.
Latest News
- For the first time, tianjin Port realized the whole process of dock operati...
- From January to August, piracy incidents in Asia increased by 38%!The situa...
- Quasi-conference TSA closes as role redundant in mega merger world
- Singapore says TPP, born again as CPTPP, is now headed for adoption
- Antwerp posts 5th record year with boxes up 4.3pc to 10 million TEU
- Savannah lifts record 4 million TEU in '17 as it deepens port
