New head of Border Security Command has had 'distinguished policing career' but nothing he has faced 'will compare to challenges of role'

16 September 2024, 17:54 | Updated: 16 September 2024, 18:03

The Government has announced Martin Hewitt as head of the Border Security Command. Hewitt has had a distinguished policing career, but nothing he has faced so far will compare to the challenges of the current role, says Stephen Webb, Head of Government Reform and Home Affairs at Policy Exchange.

First, he will want to clarify what his actual powers are. 

The role is supposed to involve ‘strategic direction’ of different agencies. 

Some, like the intelligence agencies and NCA are independent by law, others are part of the Home Office. 

Does the Command have operational responsibilities, will it have staff of its own with law enforcement powers, or is it mainly there to coordinate the work of others? 

Will Hewitt have the ability to task operational resource in other agencies and set priorities? 

Will Ministers give clear strategic direction to the NCA and intelligence agencies to prioritise this work over the agencies’ other responsibilities?

‘Smashing the gangs’ has been a priority for NCA and its predecessor organisation Serious Organised Crime Agency ever since it was established in 2006. 

Ministers haven’t explained what they want to do differently now.  

Are they, for example, prepared to consider ‘push back’ operations taking dangerous craft back to France?Is ‘smashing the gangs’ going to make a real difference to people smuggling any more than it has done for drug smuggling? 

Particularly if we don’t have a clear strategy to deter illegal migrants for making the UK their destination, with historically low removal rates, for example. 

The PM has talked about giving the agencies ‘Counter Terrorism (CT) style powers’ to tackle with the gangs, but it’s not clear there are really any powers to give that the agencies don’t already have. 

Also, prosecuting the gang leaders sounds great, but given that the smugglers and their money are overwhelmingly going to be based outside the UK, we risk trying to extradite them to stand trial in the UK, only then to face the risk we will not be able to deport them at the end of their sentence, so they get to stay in the UK.  

There is a lot of focus on international cooperation against the boats.  While diplomacy can help, agreements with France thus far have come with a hefty price tag which presumably only Ministers can authorise. 

A longer term deal with the French to stop the boats might require a UK promise to take on a large number of migrants anyway. 

It’s not obvious if negotiating this will be for the Border Security Command or for Home Office to lead.

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Stephen Webb is head of Government Reform and Home Affairs at the Policy Exchange.

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