Over here and out of control

Police chiefs' immigrant crime fears

By Guy Basnet

WORRIED top cops have dramatically warned that their hard-pressed forces are in danger of being swept away by a violent CRIMEWAVE from illegal immigrants.

The News of the World has uncovered letters sent by four senior police chiefs to Home Office officials expressing FEARS for public safety and PLEADING for action.

Some date back as far as THREE YEARS—but still little has been done to stem the rising tide of out-of-control migrant troublemakers.

Back in 2005, CAMBRIDGESHIRE police chief Julie Spence warned: "There is community tension, increasing the potential for large-scale public disorder."

And recently LONDON'S Met Police Commander Ian Quinton wrote: "Those foreign nationals represent a danger to ordinary citizens."

IS IMMIGRATION OUT OF CONTROL? CLICK HERE TO LET US KNOW YOUR VIEW

He set out the case for fresh funding of Project Swale, a joint police operation with the Border & Immigration Agency to tackle the problem of immigrant crime.

One of its successes he cited was the team's arrest of a foreign crack dealer who indecently assaulted a girl of 11.

Conflicts

In another case, a failed asylum seeker was found to be working illegally in a children's ward of a London hospital and two more were discovered in a care home. His letter urged: "I strongly hope sufficient resources can be found to continue Project Swale."

But many other asylum seekers and illegals have launched a string of sickening offences without facing deportation.

One Iraqi raped a 15-year-old schoolgirl in a Glasgow park. The attacker, SHABAN AHMED, 34, was jailed for five years—but is still allowed to stay in the UK.

And 16-year-old Nigerian TIMY BABAMUBONI, son of an illegal immigrant, was jailed for eight years for his part in the gangland shooting of a mum at a south London christening. But he was ruled "too young" to be deported.

Meanwhile, faced with conflicts between the Iraqi Kurd, Afghan and Pakistani comunities who were shipped into Peterborough, Cambridgeshire's police boss Ms Spence even predicted it could lead to RACE RIOTS like those seen in the streets of Bradford and Oldham.

She wrote to Home Office bosses in 2005 saying: "The placement of this large percentage of asylum seekers has led to a significant impact on policing within the county, as we seek to manage the resultant community tensions.

"The impact has not been limited to Peterborough police officers but has on occasions necessitated the drawing of resources from across the whole constabulary and neighbouring constabularies to provide support. It was noted that we could have had another Oldham or Bradford."

But, despite her earlier pleas, the police chief was forced to write AGAIN last year to Home Office Permanent Secretary David Normington saying the problem had "clearly magnified." She added: "I think we are now at a point where action is required if we are not to see a serious decline in the policing infrastructure, as the population growth shows no sign of abating. The time has come to bite the bullet."

Impact

She is not alone in this view. KENT chief constable Michael Fuller wrote to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith last October warning his force has not kept pace with the migrant explosion.

He told her: "Net migration accounts for the overwhelming majority of population growth in Kent—78 per cent on average. Despite an increase in the number of police officers, this has not kept pace with the increasing incidents.

"There is a danger that if the future funding regime fails to respond to dynamic changes in migration, the extra demand this generates will impact negatively on performance."

And SUFFOLK chief constable Simon Ash clearly has similar fears. His letter to the Home Office expresses "concern" over the time it takes immigration chiefs to collect migrants who have been grabbed by police after illegal lorry drops in his area.

Belatedly, the Home Secretary has now summoned police chiefs from 47 forces to a summit on crime involving immigrants—and has also ordered the Migrant Impact Forum to investigate.