Illegal working arrests

Illegal working arrests

Good Morning,

Illegal working crackdown leads to arrests, safeguarding interventions and major tobacco seizures 👇 

Over the past two months, North Yorkshire Police worked closely with teams across the force area to identify offenders, safeguard vulnerable people and disrupt criminality linked to organised immigration crime.

At the end of September, North Yorkshire Police was the top-performing force in the country for the number of premises visits completed as part of Operation Machinize.

Working alongside partners including Trading Standards, Immigration Enforcement, Licensing teams and Fire Safety officers, the operation also generated intelligence and referrals to a range of agencies, including HMRC, Border Force, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Environmental Health, ensuring that wider offences and safeguarding concerns could be investigated.

During the two-month period:

Officers visited 73 premises across North Yorkshire.

A total of 158 people were spoken to and safeguarding questionnaires completed to help identify potential victims of exploitation.

Seventeen people were arrested for immigration offences.

A further 19 people were identified as working illegally and were dealt with through appropriate enforcement processes.

Significant quantities of illegal tobacco and cigarettes were seized alongside partner agencies.

Officer deployments resulted in the seizure of illegal tobacco products with an estimated value of approximately £75,000. At one premises on King Edward Drive in Harrogate, officers seized around £24,000 worth of illegal tobacco.

Multiple referrals were made to partner agencies including HMRC, Border Force, DWP and Environmental Health to investigate suspected offences and safeguarding concerns.

Chief Superintendent Nikki Shimwell from North Yorkshire Police said: "Operation Machinize provides an important opportunity for us and our partners to tackle organised immigration crime, identify people who may be vulnerable to exploitation and disrupt wider criminality affecting our communities.

"Over the past two months we have visited dozens of premises across North Yorkshire, spoken to more than 150 people, made arrests, carried out safeguarding activity and seized a significant quantity of illegal tobacco products.

"Criminal networks often seek to profit through a range of offences, including illegal working, exploitation, money laundering and the sale of illicit goods. By working closely with Trading Standards, Immigration Enforcement, Licensing, Fire Safety and other partner agencies, we can take coordinated action against those involved while protecting vulnerable people and supporting legitimate businesses."