§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been(a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted as a result of the actions taken by the Immigration Crime Team against suspected identity hijackers on 8 October 2002; what the sentence was in each case; and how many passports were recovered in the operation. [143381]
§ Beverley HughesOperation Wisdom, targeting individuals who have obtained passports using the identities of dead children, was co-ordinated by the National Crime Squad and involved 18 UK police forces and the Immigration Service.
On 8 October 2002, 30 individuals were arrested, 12 were charged and 16 others were identified as suitable for removal under Immigration Act powers, five of whom received police cautions. Sentences for others on conviction ranged from seven days to 11 months.
Some 100 further arrests have since been made as the result of on-going work by the agencies involved.
No central record was kept of the number of passports recovered in the operation.