Police call on truckers to combat smuggling

The police, with the UK Border Force and Crimestoppers, are asking the thousands of drivers who use Immingham, Killingholme and King George Dock, in Hull, to report any suspicious activity by calling the 0800 555111 Crimestoppers’ number anonymously.

The appeal came as the UK Border Force in Hull announced the seizure of more than 60,000 cigarettes in a specially-adapted lorry that arrived on a ferry from Rotterdam, similar to another haul of earlier this month.

The cigarettes were hidden in hollow metal beams under the trailer’s load of wet wipe tissues.

Earlier this month officers said they had closed down a major smuggling route into Immingham, after cocaine seizures worth £6.5m from Colombian coal ships.

For the latest initiative, officers will hand out mugs and pens embossed with the Crimestoppers’ number as well 5,000 leaflets.

Drivers are being asked to look out for vehicle modifications, such as ventilation grilles, that could signal people being trafficked, and whether they are being asked to carry items for payment or make last-minute route changes.

They are also being asked to look out for behaviour that could be linked to terrorism.

Detective Sergeantt Laurie McIntryre said: “A few months ago we had some information, merely snippets, but it proved to me there were drivers whose job it was to drive round the country and round Europe, who see things and hear things. The vast majority are law abiding and I’m sure don’t want to see people get away with criminality.”

A Freight Transport Association spokesman said: “I don’t think it is appropriate to tell drivers to become vigilantes but I suspect there is some information out there that they could pass on. I think the beauty of it is that they can do it without blame and anonymously.”