British cops will be sent to trouble hotspots in Africa to stop terrorism threat
Police will have access to the £14 billion foreign aid budget to target violent extremism that can threaten the UK
BRITISH cops are to be deployed to trouble hotspots to stop the rising threat of terrorism in Africa, we can reveal.
Law enforcement agencies will have access to the £14 billion foreign aid budget to target the violent extremism that can threaten the UK at home.
Cabinet Minister Penny Mordaunt has revealed our experts will “build stronger police forces and set up British serious and organised crime units” in developing countries.
She says the help intends to focus on the “root causes” which help fuels the terror networks.
Training up foreign cops will help stop organised gangs to move funds across borders and seize assets to stop gangs from operating.
The aid cash will likely to used in areas such as the Sahel in Africa to also stem illegal migration and slavery.
It covers 2,300 miles across the continent covering countries including Mali, Nigeria, Sudan and Eritrea.
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The International Aid Secretary said: “Using UK aid, we will support experts from UK law enforcement – the best in the world – to build stronger police forces.
“Aligning with the Government’s Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, we will use our expertise to tackle the international flow of dirty cash, choking the ability of serious and organised criminals to move money and fund illegal activities – through investigations, prosecutions and sanctions such as freezing or seizing assets.
“Through UK aid, we will help developing countries to crack down on money laundering and gather more tax – which will reduce their need for our help in the long term.
“We are also going to target the root causes of violent extremism, which causes instability and fuel the terrorism that ravages fragile countries and threatens us at home.”
She said the move would “complement, not substitute” UK responses to natural disasters and helping the world’s destitute, adding it wasn’t “selfish” but an approach “fit for the 21st century”.
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The move follows Theresa May’s speech in Cape Town last year where she revealed Britain’s aid cash would be used to support the national interest abroad.
The overseas aid budget is set in law at 0.7 per cent of GDP. Miss Mordaunt has said in the past this is “unsustainable”.
She has also demanded a major re-think on handing out billions of aid cash through international agencies to make sure funds are not wasted.
UK to take a a new direction for foreign aid budget, says Penny Mordaunt
By Penny Mordaunt, International Development Secretary
THE way the UK spends aid is changing.
Last year the Prime Minister said in her Cape Town speech that our aid spending would not only fight extreme poverty, but should also tackle global challenges and be spent unashamedly in the UK’s national interest.
Britain is a nation proud to stand up for what is right and is generous in helping those in need.
But we also need to ensure that every penny we spend on aid could not be better spent.
Modern threats, like terrorism, disease and organised crime have no respect for borders.
Criminal gangs make ‘dirty money’ from people trafficking, slavery and corruption, robbing income from governments and taking away opportunities to earn an honest living from the people who need them most.
We are already using aid to tackle these problems, leading to a direct benefit for the UK itself.
But we want to go even further.
Using UK aid, we will support experts from UK law enforcement – the best in the world – to build stronger police forces and set up British serious and organised crime units in developing countries.
We will use our expertise to tackle the international flow of dirty cash, choking the ability of organised criminals to move money and fund illegal activities – through investigations, prosecutions and sanctions such as freezing or seizing assets.
Through UK aid, we will help developing countries to crack down on money laundering and gather more tax – which will reduce their need for our help in the long term.
We are also going to target the root causes of violent extremism, which causes instability and fuel the terrorism that ravages fragile countries and threatens us at home.
This work will complement, not substitute, UK aid’s world class response to natural disasters and commitment to improve health and education for the world’s poorest.
This new direction for the aid budget is not a selfish one.
An approach to foreign aid which is fit for the 21st Century is a win for the developing world, and a win for the UK too.
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