Tim Worstall

Immigration and Criminals Again

I’m sorry but I don’t understand the fuss here:

A fresh row over criminal databases broke out last night with the
revelation that immigration officials frequently cannot check on the
criminal past of European Union citizens entering Britain.

So, let us imagine that there was indeed a perfect system. Every conviction for every crime was correctly entered into a database (something we don’t even have for the UK alone) and available to immigration officers at every point of entry.

Then what? Nothing. As they are EU citizens they have the right (no, not permission, the right) of entry, whether they are as pure as the driven snow or they’ve just finished 20 years for kiddie fiddling.

So why the furore? The only way to change this is to leave the European Union.

(I agree that if there is indeed a power to keep out convicted criminals then that little rant becomes somewhat untrue but I’m not aware that here is. Open to correction as always.)

In

10 responses

  1. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    I was under the impression the issue is whether the courts can find out their past criminal record, not immigration per se.

    Reply
  2. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    Furthermore, surely you don’t believe in immigration controls even if we do leave the EU?

    Reply
  3. The Englishman Avatar
    The Englishman

    The fuss is interesting because whilst the Tories are happy to lay into John Reid for allowing criminals to wander unfettered they won’t know what to do with this one – as the only solution is to withdraw from the free movement of EU citizens agreement and that is hard for the euro-fedarists in the party to accept.

    Reply
  4. Marcin Tustin Avatar
    Marcin Tustin

    Actually, they don’t have the right, and entry may be refused for example on the grounds of being a scientologist.

    Reply
  5. Arthur Dent Avatar
    Arthur Dent

    The key issue here has nothing to do with immigration and everything to do with the UK Criminal Records Database and Sexual Offences Registers.
    These people didn’t make it onto these databases which in turn are used to identify risks to employers. Consequently people with a know record of paedophilia, for example, could have shown up as having a clean record when applying for a job as a teacher.

    Reply
  6. Serf Avatar
    Serf

    To the best of my knowledge, there is a clause that citizens of EU states may be barred on grounds of national security. Protecting kids from perverts or all of us from Murderers is not included.

    Reply
  7. Martin Avatar
    Martin

    Polish perverts get deported regularly.

    Reply
  8. dearieme Avatar
    dearieme

    Are you about to burst into verse, Martin, or is it just a mnemonic?

    Reply
  9. Martin Avatar
    Martin

    Bill (for ‘Dearieme’ is actually Dr. Bill Paterson of Cambridge University’s Department of Chenical Engineering; you can see his picture here – http://martinkelly.blogspot.com/2006/09/question-for-bill-paterson.html), I did once invent a tonguetwister combining reports of increased drunk driving amongst members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and drunk driving amongst migrants.
    It went,
    ‘Plastered Plods passing Poyntzpass Pick Up Pickled Poles’.
    It’s tougher than it looks, Yeastman.

    Reply
  10. Not Saussure Avatar
    Not Saussure

    There is certainly a power to keep out convicted criminals. However, it has to be applied individually; the Home Secretary can certainly deport EU nationals (or refuse them entry) if he’s satisfied that such an action is necessary for public protection, etc, and that it’s proportionate.
    However, what he can’t do is impose a blanket ban on all criminals, or even all people convicted of a particular category of offence, entering the country.

    Reply

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