Crack Squad to Deport Foreign Criminals from Welsh and English Jails

The UK government plans faster deportations. They’re making an immigration team. This team will focus on foreign criminals in jails in England and Wales. They will invest £5 million into this. Specialist staff will go to 80 prisons. Their task is removing people with no right to stay, according to the Press Association.

The Ministry of Justice wants the team operational by April 1. They hope to ease jail overcrowding and will deport criminals early, up to 18 months. The criminals will serve the rest of their sentence at home. Foreign offenders are about 12% of prisoners.

Since last July, 2,580 offenders were removed from English and Welsh prisons. This number is up 23% compared to the prior 12 months. The total number of prisoners reached 87,199, the highest since October 21st.

Ministers promised 14,000 new cell spaces by 2031. They plan long-term changes to fix prisons and also hope to cut reoffending rates. Prisons minister Lord James Timpson commented on the plan, stating that taxpayers shouldn’t pay for foreign criminals who bring misery to communities. Removals are up nearly a quarter under the government. Actions will ensure removals are done faster, easing overcrowded prisons and benefiting taxpayers.