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Migration crisis creating 'wave of criminality' as gangs turn to people-smuggling

Europe's migration crisis creating "unprecedented wave of criminality” as gangs across the continent converge around the “honeypot” of people-smuggling, says head of Europol

Europe's migration crisis is creating an "unprecedented wave of criminality” as gangs across the continent converge around the “honeypot” of people-smuggling, the head of Europol has warned.

Rob Wainwright, a former MI5 officer who now directs Europe’s cross-border policing body, told The Telegraph that opportunists who previously dealt in drugs or racketeering were now reaping the rewards of smuggling migrants.

Such was the scale of the threat that a new unit set up by Europol to gather intelligence on the trafficking gangs was already "swamped" by its caseload.

"As the wave of migrants has taken hold across Europe, we are also seeing an unprecedented wave of criminality by people who are turning to this trade likes bees to a honeypot," said Mr Wainwright. "They are trying to exploit it as much as they can."

His remarks provided a glimpse of the hidden underside of Europe’s migration crisis. Every group of desperate people trying to escape war in the Middle East provides an opportunity for criminals.

New figures released last week provided a more detailed picture of the origins of those on the move. More than 213,000 people claimed asylum in EU countries between April and June, according to Eurostat. Of these, only 44,000 – or 21 per cent – were from Syria. Afghans provided the second biggest contingent – 13 per cent – but Albanians were next on eight per cent.

Some 15 per cent came from three peaceful European nations outside the EU: Kosovo, Albania and Serbia. Meanwhile, Eritrea – a poor and repressive but peaceful country in the Horn of Africa – provided four per cent of all asylum applications.

The situation has escalated since the Eurostat figures were compiled, and today's inflow is on a far greater scale. Croatian police disclosed on Saturday that 20,737 migrants had entered their country since Wednesday – almost 10 per cent of the total that came to the entire EU in the space of three months from April to June.