Hundreds of foreign criminals, including those convicted of murder and sexual offences, have been allowed to enter the United Kingdom in recent years. An investigation by the Sunday Express has revealed that between 2022 and 2024, a total of 911 individuals with serious criminal backgrounds arrived in the UK. These figures came to light after British police conducted checks on foreign nationals who were arrested in the country.
The investigation uncovered that among these individuals, there were 359 convicted of murder or manslaughter, 239 guilty of rape, and 313 found guilty of child sex offences. Many of the offenders were identified through checks carried out by the ACRO Criminal Records Office, a national police unit responsible for managing criminal records.
Concerns Over Border Control
The findings have raised significant concerns regarding the effectiveness of border control in the UK, particularly regarding individuals from Eastern European countries. Notably, 409 of the identified offenders were from Romania alone. Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, expressed alarm over the situation, stating, “Most disturbing is that this litany of crime is, it seems, committed mostly by EU nationals and only comes to light after those concerned commit fresh crimes here.” He emphasized that the current system appears to allow dangerous individuals to enter the country with minimal scrutiny.
In response to these revelations, a spokesperson for the Home Office stated that the data primarily reflects the work of the previous government and assured the public that the current administration is committed to securing the borders. They noted that anyone entering the UK is subject to rigorous checks against immigration databases and can be refused entry based on their criminal history.
Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, criticized the government for failing to act decisively. “Murderers, rapists, child abusers. These are people who should never have been allowed anywhere near our country and should have been deported immediately,” he asserted. Philp called for more stringent measures, advocating for the immediate removal of illegal immigrants and foreign criminals.
Implications for Public Safety
The investigation indicates that the number of foreign offenders entering the UK could be much higher than the figures reported, as the data only includes those with the most serious crimes. High-profile cases further illustrate the issue. For example, Michael Podlaszczyk, a Polish national, was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping and robbing a woman shortly after arriving in the UK, having been released on parole in Poland for a previous murder conviction.
Another notable case involved Vytautas Jokubauskas, who murdered and dismembered his partner in Peterborough. During his trial, it was revealed that he had a prior conviction for murder in Lithuania. Raimondas Jakstas, also from Lithuania, was sentenced in 2015 for attacking a neighbour after arriving in the UK following a prison sentence for homicide in his home country.
The issue has raised questions about the adequacy of monitoring systems in place for foreign nationals. Judge Michael Heath, who presided over Jakstas’s case, highlighted the disparity that exists in monitoring policies for individuals convicted of serious crimes abroad compared to those in the UK.
The ACRO Criminal Records Office has conducted over 315,228 cross-border criminal record checks in the past three years, revealing that the current mechanisms for exchanging criminal records with European partners are in place, but significant gaps remain.
A spokesperson for ACRO emphasized the importance of these checks in ensuring public safety, stating, “The UK has well-established mechanisms for exchanging information on criminal records with European partners. This helps UK police pursue criminal investigations and safeguard communities.”
As the UK grapples with these revelations, the public’s demand for stronger border controls and more effective measures to deal with foreign criminals continues to grow.
