DO you know the signs of Organised Immigration Crime? Many people wouldn’t and Devon & Cornwall Police are trying to change that.

Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) is where a person or group of people are moved across borders without permission or documentation, assisted by an Organised Crime Group.

In September, as part of a national campaign, we carried out a multi-agency maritime operation in West Cornwall which aimed to engage and educate our communities as well as gather and develop intelligence of crimes around our coastline.

Over four days through the River Fal and River Helford, teams deployed on boats, on the roads engaging with maritime vehicles and on foot speaking with the local communities.

ITV West Country joined our officers for a day to see what they got up to. You can watch their story here - Behind the scenes of policing in Cornwall - Latest From ITV News

The maritime operations were coordinated by the Joint Maritime Security Centre. They have played a crucial role in organising the joint response of multiple agencies at sea and around the coastline. We were also supported by Dorset Police, Border Force, Home Office and CrimeStoppers.

Detective Superintendent Rob Youngman is our force lead for Organised Immigration Crime, he said: ‘When it comes to spotting the signs of OIC there are a range of things that may be seen such as suspicious activity from boats, groups of people and vehicles waiting at times and places you wouldn’t expect, to people behaving nervously or loitering, and the theft of life jackets and small boats.

‘It may also include people not being allowed to speak for themselves, not knowing their address and always being accompanied.

‘Our communities are often our eyes and ears when it comes to reporting suspicious activity seen and early reporting is crucial to us safeguarding and saving lives, preventing incursions, and bringing criminals to justice.

‘With the significant levels of coastline in Devon and Cornwall, we need to be prepared to deal with these incidents effectively and with the right approach.

‘I would urge anyone who sees any activity of this nature to please report it to us so that we can respond and carry out enquiries at the earliest point possible’.

Reports can be made to police or anonymously to the charity CrimeStoppers.

Det Supt Youngman added: ‘Multi-agency working is key in this area of crime; we share intelligence between agencies to build up a clear picture of activity and crime at sea.

‘This is all part of the wider effort to keep borders secure and protect vulnerable people from harm’.

You can read more about the signs of coastal crime on the CrimeStoppers website here - Help turn the tide on coastal crime | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org)

If you see a crime in action and in an emergency, always call 999. If you have information about suspicious or illegal activity, you can report it to us via 101.

You can also report information through the CrimeStoppers Coastal Crime Line by calling 0800 0111 3304 or fill out the form here - Coastal Crime Line | Crimestoppers (theiline.co.uk)