Police told not to close investigations until they have used facial recognition
Police have been told to use facial recognition searches in every criminal investigation, The Telegraph can reveal.
The independent police inspectorate has urged forces to 'fully exploit' the technology after finding that some were using it more than others.
It comes as a Telegraph investigation reveals the true scale of police use of facial recognition, with forces conducting searches on the public every two minutes.
Officers are encouraged to obtain pictures of their targets – including witnesses and victims – from social media, doorbell footage and CCTV, and search them against the vast police national database (PND).
Police could be able to check driving licence photographs in future under plans to give police access to DVLA information, although the Home Office says it is not changing the law for that purpose.
Facial recognition technology is not subject to national guidance from either the Home Office or the College of Policing, which provides advice to police on conducting investigations.
The technology, introduced to catch serious and violent offenders, is now most often used for low-level investigations.
The reliance on digital technology has increased as police forces across the country cut officer numbers to reduce costs.
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMIFRS) praised those forces that carried out the most searches in a recent report, and recommended that no investigation should be closed until all images had been cross-checked against available databases.
The inspectors' most recent report said that by June, forces should introduce a new rule 'stating that when an image exists, investigators should search it against the PND and any other relevant databases before their force closes an investigation'.
Forces can adopt the recommendations at their own discretion.
Privacy concerns
The unprecedented use of facial recognition will be welcomed by some as a way of reducing time-consuming investigations, but privacy concerns have prompted MPs, regulators and civil liberties campaigners to urge the Government to impose new rules regulating its use by police.
The Telegraph found that one force, Essex Police, used the technology for 16 investigations into what was later determined 'non-crime'.
The force said it had used facial recognition for investigations that concluded that no crime had been committed.
Essex Police was criticised last year over its investigation into Allison Pearson, a Telegraph columnist, for remarks she posted online. The investigation was later dropped.
Last year officers ran more than a quarter of a million 'retrospective' facial recognition searches in the UK, including 30,000 by the Metropolitan Police alone – more than ten times the Met's figure for 2019.
Retrospective facial recognition can use images obtained from a range of sources, including CCTV, mobile phone footage, dashcam or doorbell cameras or social media.
Police obtain the images during their investigations and then run them against a vast police database to look for a possible match.
They can then approach the individual, without revealing that their image has been searched to find a biometric 'match'.
Home Office officials describe facial recognition as a 'key tool' for the police to identify suspects more quickly and accurately.
A search can cut the length of an 'identification' from around two weeks to just minutes.
The main resource available to forces is the PND, which collates records from 55 different agencies and holds 6.2 billion searchable records as well as millions of photographs and images.
Police are already allowed to search the passport database, but are required to ask for permission from the Government each time.
While live facial recognition cameras on British high streets have generated controversy, retrospective searches are far more commonplace and useful to police.
Some forces, including the Met, have bought private facial recognition software from the US to run more accurate searches.
Although facial recognition was first billed as a tool to catch serious offenders, including murderers and terrorists, data obtained under freedom of information laws by The Telegraph and Big Brother Watch shows it is now used to track anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and mail theft.
Two forces – Humberside and Dyfed-Powys – said they had used the technology for 'level one' intelligence gathering by local policing. Most forces refused to reveal a detailed breakdown of how they had used the tool.
The Telegraph can also reveal that the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is investigating how police are using the software amid concerns that 'large amounts of sensitive personal data' have not been processed 'responsibly' and 'appropriately'.
An ICO spokesman said: 'People must be able to trust that technology is being used responsibly, and we are committed to ensuring appropriate use and improving public confidence about the safeguards surrounding its use.'
The controversial expansion of facial recognition has also prompted fresh privacy concerns from MPs and civil society groups.
The technology was backed by the previous Conservative government, but Chris Philp, the former policing minister, said he was now concerned about how it was being used.
'There are clear guidelines about how facial recognition should be deployed,' he said.
'Reports of misuse are deeply concerning and it should certainly never be used for non-crime investigations – in fact, non-crimes should not be investigated at all.
'Where used appropriately, new technology like this will be transformational for police forces suffering severe cuts under Labour.'
Unlike most other investigatory tools used by police, there are no national guidelines or policies that officers must follow.
The Home Office said that police were required to follow laws that govern personal data and privacy, including the Data Protection Act, Equality Act and Human Rights Act 1998.
But Big Brother Watch, the civil liberties campaign group, said the unfettered expansion of facial recognition was a 'scandal'.
'Police use of facial recognition scanning to identify people in a 'non-crime investigation' is deeply Orwellian and demonstrates how police use of this technology is dangerously off the leash,' said Madeleine Stone, a spokesman for the group.
'We urgently need a democratic, lawful approach to the role of retrospective facial recognition in the UK. Without this, police forces should not be using this intrusive technology at all.'
Sir Keir Starmer called for a 'wider deployment of facial recognition technology' after riots across the UK last year, when it was used to identify protesters.
There is currently no statutory oversight of the tools available to police because the Government's independent biometric and surveillance commissioner position is vacant.
Prof Fraser Sampson, a former holder of that role, warned in an article for The Telegraph that 'unlimited expansion' of facial recognition could see it deployed to monitor protests and industrial disputes where no crime had been committed.
'Surveillance is no longer about where the police put their cameras; it is about what the state does with the images from everyone's cameras,' he said.
'Uploaded selfies, pictures from dashcams, doorbells and social media posts generate incalculable numbers of facial images, all of which are accessible in perpetuity and can be searched against retrospectively.'
Calls for guidance to prevent police misuse
Grant Shapps, a former home and defence secretary, called for national guidance on facial recognition to prevent 'misuse' by police.
He said: 'Deploying [facial recognition] for minor non-crime incidents risks undermining public trust and eroding civil liberties.
'The right to privacy is a cornerstone of our democracy, and we must never allow convenience or expediency to trump fundamental freedoms. I would support clear national guidelines to prevent the misuse of this powerful technology.'
A Home Office spokesman said: 'Facial recognition is an important tool in modern policing that can identify offenders more quickly and accurately, with many serious criminals having been brought to justice through its use.
'All police forces using this technology are required to comply with existing legislation that protects people's right to privacy, but we will continue to work with experts in this field, and other interested stakeholders, to ensure that appropriate safeguards are always in place.
'We will set out our plans for the future use of facial recognition technology, alongside broader policing reforms, in the coming months.'
A National Police Chiefs' Council spokesperson said: 'We welcome the recommendation from HMICFRS.
'Retrospective facial recognition is an extremely accurate and invaluable tool that has been used by police for a number of years to great effect.
'Where there are reasonable lines of enquiry and a clear policing purpose, we encourage officers to use every tool at their disposal to assist in their investigations, including retrospective facial recognition.'
Why we should care about retrospective facial recognition
By Fraser Sampson
When I was preparing my annual report to parliament as Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner in 2022, an official said to me 'why do we care about retrospective facial recognition? Everyone's concerned about live'.
There are many reasons why we should care, and the freedom of information requests published this week reveal several.
The first reason is that police use of any facial recognition technology (FRT) – retrospective, live or predictive – is an extension of biometrics and that demands close and consistent attention. In all its uses of intrusive biometric technology, the state must be accountable.
A second reason is that the placement of live facial recognition cameras has dominated the public space surveillance debate, but surveillance is no longer about where the police put their cameras; it is about what the state does with the images from everyone's cameras. Uploaded selfies, pictures from dashcams, doorbells and social media posts generate incalculable numbers of facial images, all of which are accessible in perpetuity and can be searched against retrospectively. When it needed a human to do it, comparing even a handful of images was a resourcing decision, balancing effort and expense against likely outcome. With AI-enabled technology, mass matching has become cheap, quick and easy, and the discretion has evaporated. The old adage about looking for needles in haystacks will make no sense to the next surveillance generation. The search is a mouse click and the principal risk – to the police and the public – lies in not doing it.
There are further reasons why we should care about retrospective recognition. Photographs of convicted people are an obvious source of images for matching, but the state has other large collections of our faces. The UK driver's licence and passport databases have millions of high-quality images that can be used for retrospective matching, but we submitted them because we wanted to drive on a road or leave the country, rather than for a criminal justice purpose. More interconnected state databases exist and new ones will emerge, sometimes shared with other countries.
Another reason to care is that, without the signage, visible cameras and auto-deletion of live FRT, retrospective matching is invisible to the citizen. While the UK's regulation of covert surveillance is the gold standard, retrospective recognition takes place outside any formal framework, which seems at odds with the safeguards for surveillance generally.
Is live FRT really the conjuror's left hand, distracting our attention while intrusive retrospective matching takes place on an industrial scale out of view? Opponents of the technology might suggest so: rebutting their claims will rely on police chiefs providing the data needed to allow proper challenge, as some have done.
But surely the lawful, proportionate and justified use of police biometrics is too important to be left to individual statutory requests? The police also need to be better at making their case.
Freedom of information responses from Police Scotland show that they do not even collect the data needed to assure themselves of its legitimate use. Increasingly, there will be cases where the public expect the police to use retrospective facial capabilities – identifying victims and offenders in child sexual abuse image cases for example – and the police will find themselves explaining any decisions not to use the technology. That will also need reliable and consistent performance data.
I have heard some surprisingly poor arguments against the need for scrutiny of this technology from some policing leaders: 'if you've done nothing wrong, you've nothing to worry about' (a stunningly misconceived observation), 'it's just photography' (presumably in the same way that DNA profiling is 'just chemistry'). This simply reinforces the need for greater prescription.
Unlimited expansion of the technology also provides a compelling reason to care about it. Finding suspects is one thing but the technology is clearly being used in non-criminal incidents, raising questions around its boundaries and scope. How will it be used for monitoring public gatherings, attendance at protests, industrial disputes or during pandemic lockdowns? What contribution will it make to predictive policing? These are not hypothetical questions: when the College of Policing says the technology can be legitimately used to find 'potential witnesses', its reach is unconstrained – I cannot think of a living individual to whom that definition would not apply right now.
Policing is about connecting the dots and, as Steve Jobs said, you can only do that by looking backwards. That is precisely what retrospective facial recognition does, making it an indispensable crime-fighting tool. Enabling the police to use it with the trust and support of the public is perhaps the overriding reason why we should care about retrospective facial recognition.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Undercover Mail investigation exposes how crooked businesses are pocketing tens of thousands of pounds by illegally using skilled worker visas to get cheap labour for barbers, convenience stores and warehouses
Corrupt immigration advisers are helping illegal workers dupe the Home Office in a cash for visas scam, a Mail investigation has found. They are charging up to £22,000 per person to provide 'skilled' jobs in the UK for under-qualified foreign workers. It comes amid concern skilled worker visa routes could be hiding an immigration scandal 'worse than the small boats crisis'. Critics claim it could render Sir Keir Starmer 's immigration crackdown pointless after he made new restrictions on skilled visas a major tool in ending the economy's reliance on cheap overseas labour. The ruse has proved so lucrative that many companies have started up just to profit from hiring foreign staff – then shut down after a year, having extorted migrants and exploited them for cheap labour. The scam involves businesses telling the Home Office they can't find the right people in the UK and therefore need special 'sponsorship' licences to recruit workers from abroad. Immigration advisers then coach immigrants how to lie to officials, overstating their levels of education and experience to secure the visa. One adviser – a partner in a government-regulated advice firm – was secretly filmed admitting taking hefty bungs to teach foreigners how to fraudulently apply. Leicester-based Joe Estibeiro, the managing partner of an immigration advice firm, told the Mail's undercover reporter how he: Tricks the Home Office into believing employers need a certificate of sponsorship to take on overseas workers. Organises firms to advertise the positions in the UK. Helps employ immigrant workers who will officially earn about £3,000 a month to meet minimum salary requirements for the visas – but in reality they will receive only about £900 a month as they will have to hand the rest back to their boss. Secures the visas for applicants with little or only high school education in their home countries. Mr Estibeiro even claimed the Government didn't care if companies bring in unqualified staff on skilled worker visas, insisting: 'The Home Office is just interested in the money.' The foreign staff he helps recruit have to pay illegal work finder fees of between £19,000 to £22,000 to their new employer for the job and visa, with Mr Estibeiro pocketing a large commission. They then have to work 60 hours a week and, in real terms, will earn far below the minimum wage, in some cases with a take-home pay of less than £4 an hour. Mr Estibeiro, managing partner of immigration advisers Flyover International, said he works with businesses in Bradford, Leicester, Northampton and Peterborough. Incredibly, his Leicester headquarters overlooks the bureau of a Home Office affiliate where UK visa applications are processed. A long-serving recruiter for a small Hertfordshire domiciliary care company said there has been widespread abuse in the overseas recruitment of supposedly skilled workers. 'It's all gone absolutely mad,' she said. 'I don't understand how so many people are getting into this country without any checks. The situation is making the small boats crisis seem like a minor problem.' Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'These so-called immigration advisers and immigration lawyers appear very often to arrange immigration fraud. These people need to be identified.' Last night, border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said: 'We have immediately suspended this firm's sponsorship licence. 'Urgent investigations continue and if the allegations are true, they risk having their sponsor licence revoked and sponsored workers complicit in abuse could face their visas being cancelled.' The skilled worker visa scheme was introduced in December 2020 and in the first three years alone more than 931,000 visas were issued – far outpacing Home Office predictions of 360,000 for this period, according to the National Audit Office. Flyover International is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, but Mr Estibeiro is not a registered adviser. The firm specialises in international student recruitment. The firm is owned by another man who is understood to be investigating and said that Mr Estibeiro was not officially hired to work in the UK end of the business. Mr Estibeiro denied involvement in any 'illegal or unethical' activity and said he was 'solely involved in student recruitment'. He insisted he always told anyone who inquired about certificates of sponsorship for skilled worker visas that 'we do not deal with such matters'. The Immigration Advice Authority said: 'We recognise the seriousness of the issue and are working closely with the Home Office to determine the most appropriate course of action.' Dame Angela added: 'Since taking office there have been 40 per cent fewer visa applications, we have removed 24,000 people with no right to be here and arrests from illegal working raids are up 42 per cent.' Q&A How do UK companies hire overseas workers? Employers usually need a sponsor licence from the Home Office. This allows the firm to issue certificates of sponsorship for eligible overseas employees, which cost £525 per worker, to be paid to the Home Office. Employees use the certificates to obtain a UK skilled worker visa. Can firms or UK recruiters charge workers for sponsorship or jobs? No. Businesses are responsible for paying the sponsor licence fee and any associated administrative costs. The Home Office can revoke licences of businesses they find have recouped, or attempted to recoup, any part of the sponsor licence fee or associated administrative costs, by any means. It is also illegal for UK-based recruitment agencies to impose fees on individuals for the promise of securing employment opportunities. Is there a minimum salary for staff on skilled visas? Yes, though this varies depending on the role. For all routes, licensed businesses must ensure the role they are sponsoring the worker for complies with both the national minimum wage and the working time regulations. What are immigration legal advisers? Depending on their level, advisers can help with visa applications, obtaining leave to remain, nationality and citizenship and, at the highest level, represent clients at immigration tribunals. Advisers must be registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) which is tasked with ensuring they are competent and act in their clients' best interests. What rules do they have to follow? The OISC Code of Standards says immigration legal advisers 'must not knowingly or recklessly allow clients, the Commissioner, the Home Office, the courts and tribunals and/or third-party agencies to be misled', and 'not abuse any judicial and/or immigration process.' Migration fixer's brazen promise to undercover reporter posing as Indian student By Tom Kelly, Investigations Editor for The Daily Mail Tightening restrictions on skilled worker visas was a centrepiece of Sir Keir Starmer's much-vaunted crackdown on spiralling immigration. The Prime Minister has promised that new rules – demanding that applicants for the permits must be graduates – would help to 'lower net migration', provide a higher-calibre workforce and stop the UK becoming an 'island of strangers'. But a Mail investigation can reveal that managers of immigration advice firms are already using tricks that could render many of the planned changes pointless. During an extraordinary hour-long meeting, Joe Estibeiro, managing partner of the immigration adviser Flyover International, detailed to our undercover reporter how he makes a mockery of government rules despite his firm being officially 'approved by the Home Office'. Skilled worker visas were introduced in December 2020 to mitigate the impacts of Brexit on the labour market and supposedly attract high-quality employees to the UK. Businesses licensed by the Home Office can pay a £574 fee to the department to issue certificates of sponsorship for foreign workers seeking to come to Britain using the visas. Employers must ensure that immigration laws are properly upheld, including a minimum salary depending on the job. Bosses and employment agencies also cannot charge a fee to a work-seeker for finding them a job or pass on visa charges or other administrative costs to the migrant. But from the headquarters of the Leicester-based firm, which also has offices in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Anand in Gujarat and works with 350 agents across India, Mr Estibeiro told how he arranges sponsorship licences for crooked businesses and then recruits staff for them – for a five-figure fee. From the headquarters of the Leicester-based firm, which also has offices in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Anand in Gujarat and works with 350 agents across India, Mr Estibeiro (pictured) told how he arranges sponsorship licences for crooked businesses and then recruits staff for them – for a five-figure fee He told our reporter, who was posing as an Indian student wanting to stay in the UK after his study visa expires, that he could arrange a job for him shelf-stacking and running the till at convenience stores in either Peterborough or Northampton. The opportunity would cost the reporter £19,000, plus the annual health surcharge. There was also the chance to work in a role moving stock at a drinks warehouse in Yorkshire, but this was more expensive because the boss had got a 'bit greedy' after recently managing to hire some Pakistani staff, who he claimed had paid the warehouse boss £22,000 to secure similar roles, Mr Estibeiro explained. Most of the illegal fee goes to the employer, but Mr Estibeiro said he took 'a little bit of commission' of £1,500. 'So basically you pay me and then I pay the employer,' he said. 'We will handle everything. So that's all-inclusive. So including the visa – I'll do all the paperwork.' The initial £5,000 deposit to start the process could be paid by bank transfer, but not to his company otherwise the foreign worker might reveal he was charged for a job. 'We can't take it on Flyover. I'll give either my personal account [or] I'll give somebody else's, like one of my clients' personal accounts. 'See, there can't be a trail of it. Can't be a paper trail. 'That's why even when I am sponsoring someone, I will use somebody else to do it.' Further payments would need to be cash, he added. Mr Estibeiro told the reporter that for both jobs he would on paper receive an annual salary of £33,000, most of which he would have to repay to his new boss. 'Basically, because when we get a COS [certificate of sponsorship,] we have to show £33,000 per annum,' he said. Tax on this official salary would be deducted and paid to HMRC as PAYE and National Insurance, so it all appeared official. 'Everything is paid… he's gonna get a pension. He's going to get proper payslip.' After these deductions, this would mean the reporter would receive about £2,750 monthly paid into his account for the convenience store job, but he would have to hand all but £900 back. 'The owner will tell him that, OK, put it in this account, or, you know, withdraw cash and give it.' The worker would also receive accommodation – probably a shared room above the shop – and food from the store owners. In return he would have to work ten hours a day, six days a week in the shop. In real terms this meant he would almost certainly be earning under the minimum wage. But Mr Estibeiro said: 'Once you get your visa… then you're on the route to permanent residency.' Sponsored migrants were also allowed to bring spouses and partners to the UK, he said. 'Within a month, go to India, get married, bring her back over here and then she can apply [for sponsorship to work].' Mr Estibeiro said he charged £1,750 for arranging the sponsorship licence and recruiting staff for firms. His services included providing a 'good justification' to show the licence was required to ensure the application was approved. But he explained there were ways to trick the Home Office into falsely believing the company was unable to recruit staff for the required role from the UK. 'What I do with my client, one month before, two months before, we start advertising on Indeed and all those job sites. 'We'll get candidates for interview. So, the worst candidates, we will record a conversation. The good ones we'll say, let's not record it. 'So then, if the Home Office does an inquiry as to why, you say I interviewed seven candidates, and if they say we need a proof, you have the proof.' He said once the worker was in place with a visa there would be no further checks from the Home Office to make sure he really was a specialist. 'They want people to come over here, because what is there in UK apart from immigration? How does UK make their money? Immigration.' Despite it being called a skilled worker visa, he said no specialist skill was required to get a certificate of sponsorship. Chuckling, Mr Estibeiro described how when he had his hair cut at a barber shop he had arranged a sponsorship licence for it was a 'disaster', apparently because the staff were actually trainees. And he explained how he had hired an overseas worker with only a high school education by claiming she was a 'senior web developer'. They tricked the Home Office by telling the worker to enrol in a short web course costing around £200 in India so the worker knew what to say when interviewed by UK immigration officials. Laughing, he said the worker was 'not a web developer', had completed only high school education and hadn't obtained a degree. He said things were even easier for migrants already in Britain hoping to switch from expiring education visas to skilled worker visas. 'The good thing is, in UK right now, Home Office is not giving interview. So once you put an application, once you get it, that's it. They don't ask you for what… That's the employer's responsibility. The Home Office is just interested in the money you're getting.' He described how his phone rings 'non-stop' from 7am until midnight. The high volume of applicants meant sponsorship licences for skilled workers have become so popular in recent years that 'everybody' was opening businesses just to make money out of the scheme – including himself. He said he had a restaurant which he opened 'only for immigration purpose'. 'So, you know, we'll get a sponsor licence. 'We'll sponsor, get their money and then tell one of them that, OK, you take over the business, sell the business to him. 'In a year, if we can make like, £30,000, £40,000. Why not?' 'This is how everybody got into this business of sponsor licence. The business was very good in 2024. A lot of people made a lot of money.' He even told a second undercover reporter at the meeting – who was posing as the Indian student's UK-based cousin – that he could organise a sponsorship licence for his fitness business so he could also charge overseas workers £20,000 for visas and jobs. Flyover International is based in a large centre a short drive from Mr Estibeiro's £300,000 four- bedroom semi-detached home in a smart suburb on the outskirts of the city. As the reporters left, he pointed across the concourse to an office of an official partner of the Home Office's UK Visas and Immigration section, where applicants to stay in the UK provide their biometrics and complete visa applications. The Home Office has launched an urgent investigation and suspended Flyover International's sponsorship licence. In the last six months of 2024, the Home Office revoked and suspended the highest total of skilled worker sponsor licences since records began in 2012. An Immigration Advice Authority spokesman told the Mail: 'We recognise the seriousness of the issue and are working closely with the Home Office to determine the most appropriate course of action.' Flyover International is owned by another man who is understood to be taking the matter seriously and investigating and says that Mr Estibeiro was not officially hired to work the UK end of the business. Mr Estibeiro denied involvement in any 'illegal or unethical' activity and said he was 'solely involved in student recruitment'. He insisted he always told anyone who inquired about certificates of sponsorship for skilled worker visas that 'we do not deal with such matters'.
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Albanian drug dealer who illegally sneaked back into Britain weeks after being deported succeeds in remaining in the UK by judge
An Albanian drug dealer who sneaked back into Britain just weeks after being deported has succeed to remain in the UK - even after committing more crimes on his return. Stiljano Ziu has been allowed to stay in the UK despite the asylum court hearing he committed a 'flagrant' breach of immigration laws, having already been deported from the country once. Ziu was jailed for producing cannabis just months after entering Britain illegally, it was heard. He then 'took advantage of the early release scheme' by agreeing to deportation in exchange for finishing his sentence early. He then entered the UK again illegally just weeks later. During his second illegal stint in the UK, which is still ongoing, Ziu committed more drugs offences and was recently jailed for four and a half years. A crown court judge previously said of Ziu that he came to the UK 'prepared to do any activity, legal or illegal', the asylum court heard. However, after a long and complicated legal process he has won his fight to remain in the UK after the Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the Upper Tribunal ruled in his favour. Ziu won his appeal due to his marriage to a Greek woman in the UK after entering the country for the second time. The Home Office had refused to give him a residence card after his marriage. Ziu won his case after the asylum court heard he was not a 'present threat'. Ziu may still face deportation as a result of his recent drugs conviction, Upper Tribunal Judge Jonathan Perkins said. The Upper Tribunal heard Ziu first entered the UK unlawfully in 2017 or 2018 and by November 2018 was convicted of producing cannabis charges and was jailed for nine months. He was released from his prison sentence early, on the basis he agreed to be deported in December 2018. However he was already back in early 2019. 'He returned within weeks in clear breach of the deportation order', the tribunal was told. 'There can be no clearer case of abuse of immigration laws. 'He took advantage of the early release scheme and had no intention of remaining in Albania. 'He had the resources, means and contacts to return illegally.' His presence in the UK went unnoticed until December 2020 when he applied for a residence card as the spouse of a Greek woman exercising treaty rights in the UK. He had met her upon his return and married her in April 2021. 'He is still benefitting from his illegal entry and worked illegally too', it was heard. The Home Office refused Ziu's request, leading to his case at the asylum court. During court hearings it had to be determined whether the Home Office had showed that Ziu presented a 'present threat'. At one hearing in 2022, the Home Office accepted that there was 'not a present serious threat in relation to a propensity to re-offend'. At a 2023 hearing, Ziu won the first stage of his appeal. The judge in 2023 criticised Ziu's 'flagrant and serious breach of UK immigration laws' but said the Home Office had not shown he was a 'present threat' of re-offending. The decision led to the Home Office appealing it at the Upper Tribunal. Before the Upper Tribunal hearing, Ziu wrote a letter stating that in November 2024 he was jailed for four and a half years for conspiring to supply class B drugs. The offending happened between January 2020 and June 2022. At the Upper Tribunal hearing, it was ruled that the Home Office had not successfully challenged the 2023 decision that Ziu was not a risk of re-offending. But, Judge Perkins admitted 'it may be that this case has been an academic exercise' because Ziu may now face deportation due to his recent conviction. Judge Perkins said: 'Putting everything together we are satisfied that the judge [in 2023] made a decision that was open to her and gave lawful reasons. 'We therefore dismiss the Secretary of State's appeal. 'What happens next is of course a matter for the Secretary of State. 'However, [Ziu] must understand that his recent conviction has resulted in a sentence that may require his deportation from the United Kingdom and that is something the Secretary of State will consider. 'Nevertheless... we find that the Secretary of State has failed to show that the [2023] tribunal erred in law and we dismiss the Secretary of State's appeal.'
Scottish Sun
13 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Dark curse ravaging ‘UK's best high street' as pregnant mums targeted & criminals stamp sinister QR codes to lamp posts
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PERCHED on a bench and sprawled on the manicured grass, four men and a women enjoy a loud animated conversation, swearing and oblivious to the young families nearby as they puff on cannabis joints. They're soon joined by a dealer who brazenly rattles through his drug menu: 'I've got C (cocaine), keti-cut (ketamine cut with cocaine), xans (the antidepressant Xanax) gabbies (pregabalin – a prescription drug often used for epilepsy), anything you need,' he says. 15 Junkies brazenly deal and get their fix in the grounds of the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum Credit: Roland Leon 15 A sharp rise in cocaine and drug use is blighting Shrewsbury, which was recently hailed for boasting Britain's best high street Credit: Roland Leon 15 In February this year, four men in their 30s, 40s and 60s were arrested just outside Shrewsbury and released on bail after a huge haul of cocaine worth £80million was recovered Credit: Supplied It's the kind of illegal trade that draws regular users to Pride Hill in Shrewsbury town centre - a sad indication of how a sharp rise in cocaine and drug use is blighting the area boasting 'Britain's best high street' according to The Telegraph. No longer an after-dark secret in sprawling social housing estates, brazenly buying and selling gear in broad daylight just off the main pedestrianised shopping area is a common sight in Shrewsbury. 'It's like a drop-in centre for people with nowhere to go and nothing to do,' says a builder working in the town centre, pointing to the group. 'People know not to go near them because they can be aggressive if they're not asleep. 'Sadly it's a sign of the times. It's school half term and people are going into the castle grounds with their children without realising what's happening.' In nearby Wyle Cop, a charming shopping street lined with 39 listed buildings, retired aerospace worker John Edwards, 70, points out evidence of how dark web drug marketing has evolved to open websites. Silver stickers embossed with QR codes are plastered on public litter bins, bus stops and lampposts in the town - recently named the best place to live in Shropshire and one of the best in the Midlands by The Sunday Times. 'You see these stickers all over the place, advertising drugs with QR codes,' he says. 'A smartphone scan links you to websites selling drugs. 'Every time I see one I scrape them off, but they just seem to reappear.' John, who spruces signs and bus shelters on a voluntary basis and is a regular sight in the town with his cleaning trolley, says drug use there is not easy to stamp out. Horror as delivery driver, 23, is 'ambushed & killed by gang armed with blades and blunt objects' in Shrewsbury 15 Retired aerospace worker John Edwards spruces signs and bus shelters on a voluntary basis Credit: Roland Leon 15 Silver stickers embossed with QR codes for ordering drugs are plastered on public litter bins, bus stops and lampposts in the town Credit: Roland Leon 15 The gang of drug users (bottom left) appear oblivious to families visiting the picturesque tourist spots nearby Credit: Roland Leon 'I would say it's far more prevalent than ever here in Shrewsbury,' he tells The Sun. 'You might see the odd car stopping and people on the street, but they're gone before anyone reports them. 'I know there have been issues with country lines dealers who come out of Wrexham and Merseyside probably knowing they can drum up trade in the shires.' Ron, 64, who runs a key cutting business in the town centre says drug abuse has risen in the town. 'I have a homeless bloke who sells cocaine and other drugs but is harmless. I don't know where he stays but he often pops in for a coffee,' he says. 'Drugs are all over the place, not just in Shrewsbury. If you go up the hill at the side of the castle, you can often see evidence of empty wrappers littered on the ground.' Pregnant women targeted A 60-year-old local midwife, who asks not to be named, says she sees first-hand the heartbreaking evidence of increased cocaine use among young pregnant women when she carries out antenatal screening. 'There is a definite rise in cocaine and ketamine use among youngsters living in social housing,' she says. 'I see it as part of my job. I do about two toxicology tests a week and I'm sad to say, there's usually evidence of cocaine or cocaine mixed with something. 'These young girls don't realise the long-term damage it can do to unborn babies, like premature birth, growth defects and eye development.' I do about two toxicology tests a week and I'm sad to say, there's usually evidence of cocaine or cocaine mixed with something. These young girls don't realise the long-term damage it can do to unborn babies Local midwife Trainee chef Grant Lewis, 18, says the homeless population in particular are being targeted by drug gangs. 'I know the police try to crack down on county line dealing across Shrewsbury and Shropshire, but the organised crime gangs will always go where there's money to be made and people to be exploited,' he says. 'You can see people blatantly taking drugs in the daytime in town and you can smell the weed in the air.' His girlfriend, student Abi-Lou Foster, 19, says even though she and Grant don't drink and have never taken drugs, she knows friends who take cocaine without thinking of the long-term addictive consequences. 'To be honest, I don't even think they do it out of boredom,' she says. 'It's more that they think it's cool to do it, even though they get out of control and have to find the money to pay for it. 'I live in Market Drayton and sadly, the use of cocaine seems a lot more common there.' 15 Trainee chef Grant Lewis and his girlfriend Abi-Lou Foster says the homeless population in particular are being targeted by drug gangs Credit: Roland Leon 15 Wyle Cop is a charming shopping street lined with 39 listed buildings and independent shops Credit: Roland Leon 15 Beer and cider cans dumped in the town centre Credit: Roland Leon 15 Retired factory worker Martin Kerr says dealers congregate on the nearby bridge in the Brunel Drive area of Shrewsbury Credit: Roland Leon Stench of weed Retired manufacturing worker Martin Kerr, 66, says dealers often turned up in cars in the Brunel Drive area of Shrewsbury or do deals on the nearby bridge. 'I think things are the same in any UK town now because there's so much poverty and homelessness,' he says. 'It's a shame because Shrewsbury is a lovely place to live, but I suppose you're always going to get some areas where there's a demand for drugs.' Taxi driver Paul Ryder, 64, is used to ferrying passengers who sometimes ask him to wait around the corner from where they are meeting dealers. I keep air freshener in the car because some passengers get in stinking of weed. Sometimes it's so strong it makes my eyes water and I have to open the window Taxi driver Paul Ryder 'Cocaine, ketamine and cannabis use is common nowadays,' he says. 'I see dealers pull up in big expensive cars when I drop off passengers. I mind my own business because I don't want any trouble, but I refuse to take anyone who looks like they're on something. 'I keep air freshener in the car because some passengers get in stinking of weed. Sometimes it's so strong it makes my eyes water and I have to open the window. 'Towns like Shrewsbury are fair game for county line suppliers. It's a different world now.' Depending on the dealer, cocaine can be picked up for around £40 a half gram, £80 a gram or three half gram bags for £100. Cannabis is around £10 a gram. £80million haul 15 Four men were arrested on suspicion of drug offences in Merrington, north of Shrewsbury, after a haul of cocaine worth £80m was recovered in a shipping container at Tilbury Docks in Essex in December 2024 Credit: Supplied 15 (L-R) Jamie Lloyd, Nigel Smith and Callum Grimster were found with several hundred pounds worth of Class A drugs when police raided two flats in Shrewsbury in February 2017. Lloyd was jailed and Grimster and Smith were given suspended sentences Credit: Supplied In February this year, four men in their 30s, 40s and 60s were arrested and released on bail after a huge haul of cocaine worth £80million was recovered as part of a National Crime Agency investigation. The suspects were arrested in the sleepy Shropshire village of Merrington after Border Force searched a shipping container and found 847.5 kilos of the Class A drug on December 23 at Tilbury Docks in Essex. A woman in her 40s was also arrested on suspicion of money laundering and released under investigation. Last October two men were jailed for a total of nine years for their part in a county lines drugs operation in Shrewsbury. Connor Sholliker, 24, of Wilson Road in Prescot, Merseyside was sentenced to six years for being concerned in the supply of class A drugs - crack cocaine and heroin. And Kaine Currens, 23, of Manor Road in Hadley, Telford was handed a three-year sentence for being concerned in the supply of the same substances. The pair were sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court following a proactive investigation by the local organised crime team. It was quickly established that both men were part of the 'Kev' county line, which operated from Merseyside and was responsible for bringing large quantities of class A drugs into Shrewsbury. Evidence showed both men had links to phone numbers identified as drug lines used to run the dealing network. As part of their operation they targeted vulnerable young people and used their homes as a base for their drug dealing - a practice known as 'cuckooing'. Following their conviction, Detective Constable Andrea Marston, of the local organised crime team in Shropshire, said drugs were a blight on the community and ruined lives. 'We're constantly working to rid our streets of drugs and I'm glad that we've been able to dismantle this line and that Sholliker and Currens will now face time behind bars for their part in it. We won't underestimate the impact that drug use has on the communities we protect and serve and it's something we take incredibly seriously West Mercia Police spokesperson 'The local community are key in helping us to tackle drug dealing and I'd always urge anyone with any information or concerns about drug dealing or drug use in their area to let us know.' Last June two men were handed confiscation orders at Shrewsbury Crown Court after being jailed in September 2023 for multiple drugs offences. Drugs with an estimated street value of between £100k -£120k and £72,916 cash were seized in April 2023 after police carried out warrants at two properties in Shrewsbury. According to the latest data, the crime rate in the Marshalls Court area of Shrewsbury is 2.76 times higher than the town average, with drug and gun-related crimes 3.66 times higher. In Barleyfield, the crime rate is 2.26 times higher than the Shrewsbury average with drug and gun-related crimes 1.49 times higher. A West Mercia Police spokesperson said: 'The use of drugs is unfortunately an issue in all towns and cities across the UK. 'We won't underestimate the impact that drug use has on the communities we protect and serve and it's something we take incredibly seriously. 'Drug dealers prey on some of the most vulnerable people in society and their presence in turn causes more crime such as shoplifting, burglary and anti-social behaviour. 'Our officers continue to work hard to prevent and tackle drug use by engaging with our local communities, as well as working close with partners including the NHS, housing providers and local drug support charities. 'Where appropriate, we can and do take robust action against those who supply drugs.' Cllr Alex Wagner, Shropshire Council deputy leader said: "Shrewsbury is a fantastic and historic town but sadly has the same issues as so many others – in the town centre, the impact of drug use can sometimes be quite visible. 'Public Health in Shropshire has a Partnership approach in place as part of the Safeguarding Community Partnership. There is a Tackling Drugs and Alcohol Group which is attended by a number of organisations, such as Public Health, Police, Homelessness and Drug and Alcohol services. 'The group looks to address how the footprint meets the National Strategy - From Harm to Hope. "In Shropshire there is a very clear harm reduction perspective, with early help and recovery services supporting those most vulnerable at its centre. "If you or someone you know may have a problem with alcohol or drugs, the Shropshire Council website details what support is available.' 15 Detective Constable Andrea Marston, of the local organised crime team in Shropshire, said drugs were a blight on the community and ruined lives Credit: Roland Leon 15 Cllr Alex Wagner said: "Shrewsbury is a fantastic and historic town but sadly has the same issues as so many others – in the town centre, the impact of drug use can sometimes be quite visible" Credit: Roland Leon
