German minister touts success in tackling smuggling at London summit

Germany's acting interior minister on Monday touted her administration's success in combating human trafficking, as representatives from 40 countries met in London for a conference on illegal migration.

Speaking at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, Nancy Faeser said countries must come together to jointly tackle international trafficking.

"We must stop the brutal business of trafficking gangs," said Faeser. "This involves serious organized crime and often armed groups of perpetrators."

She called on partner countries to "exchange information even more closely to uncover and dismantle the entire logistics chain behind the smuggling operations."

Faeser also highlighted the progress Germany has made in stopping human trafficking, pointing out that more than 2,000 smugglers have been detained during border checks in the past 18 months.

The number of trafficked individuals identified in Germany has dropped from around 40,000 in 2023 to 10,000 in 2024, the minister said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer opened the summit on Monday, arguing that people smuggling, like terrorism, must be treated as a threat to global security.

"I simply don't believe that organized immigration crime cannot be tackled," said Starmer.

"We've got to combine our resources, share intelligence and tactics, and tackle the problem upstream at every step of the smuggling journey, from North Africa and the Middle East to the high streets of our biggest cities," the prime minister added.

The United Kingdom has convened the summit as it seeks to stem the flow of migrants crossing the Channel on small boats.