Beware Eastern invasion of secret criminals

Lack of checks mean a flood of foreign offenders could swamp UK.

Romanian and Bulgarian criminals could flock to Scotland because of flaws in cross-border intelligence checks.

From Wednesday EU working restrictions will be relaxed for both nations, allowing their citizens to move freely. But serious concerns have been raised about the ability of law enforcement agencies to identify criminals attempting to enter the country.

This is despite warnings about “gaping holes” in the system following the horrific murders of Moira Jones and Jolanta Bledaite by two eastern Europeans with a string of previous convictions.

The man who was in charge of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency just prior to the killings warned little had changed since Slovakian Marek Harcar and Lithuanian Vitas Plytnykas were allowed to enter the UK unvetted.

Graeme Pearson’s warnings were echoed by Moira Jones’ mother, Beatrice, who has campaigned for tighter restrictions on foreign offenders coming into the UK. They came as a secret Home Office report forecast Romanians and Bulgarians will flock to Britain in far greater numbers than originally predicted.

Mr Pearson, now Labour’s shadow justice secretary, said: “All the evidence seems to indicate that the criminally minded can pass through our borders almost unfettered and unseen. I’m concerned at the lack of discipline in the rules that are supposed to protect nation states. The opening up of the border to further countries only extends that concern.

“I’d like to see the UK Border Agency take more interest in those entering and checking criminal records. Europol also has to operate more effectively. People come through our border control with their right of access being checked, but nobody checks to see what their backgrounds are.”

Earlier this month it emerged Scotland Yard took the unprecedented step of sending a police mission to rural Romania to discourage young men from travelling to the UK, warning that if they do so without securing a job in advance, they’re likely to be exploited or become victims of crime. There is also evidence those who do make the journey are often recruited by criminal gangs to shoplift and steal.

Figures show Romanians are arrested at seven times the rate of Britons in London. Incredibly, they account for more than 11% of all foreign national offenders despite making up only a tiny proportion of UK residents.

The figures uncovered by police analysts also found that eastern European offenders are more likely to be involved in low-level offences.

There’s been criticism of the Home Office for Britain’s sieve-like borders “that encouraged Romanian criminals to enter the country”.

Judge Sean Morris expressed frustration after being told Romanian authorities were taking up to seven months to provide criminal records of their nationals, making it hard to inform UK sentencing.

He said: “We have to have a system in place. The borders are like a sieve.”

Across the UK, there is a rigorous criminal records regime in place. It means even so-called “spent” convictions remain on file for life.

However, in some European countries, convictions resulting in fines or prison sentences of under six months are destroyed after just three years.

Several attempts have been made to share criminal records between EU member states but their effectiveness, particularly in former Eastern Bloc countries, has been questioned.

Mrs Jones, 72, whose daughter Moira was murdered by Slovakian Harcar in Glasgow’s Queen’s Park in May 2008, doesn’t believe current border controls are sufficient.

She insisted: “The majority of people coming from Romania and Bulgaria in January will be coming for the right reasons. However, there will be those who are known to have a record of violence.

“My concerns are those brought to light by Moira’s death, the situation that has existed since they opened the borders. There is no surveillance of anyone coming in with a record of violence.”

Mrs Jones runs the Moira Fund a charity set up to support people bereaved by the murder or manslaughter of a loved one. She has met two Home Secretaries in her bid to secure more stringent restrictions on foreign criminals.

In July this year, Mrs Jones spoke at the launch of the Serious Offending by Mobility of European Criminals project at Westminster. It is tasked with assessing the risk posed by dangerous criminals able to cross borders as part of EU laws.

It is also looking at how member states can improve exchange of information about mobile offenders.

Mrs Jones said “a few” member states are on board with the project but added that many countries don’t have the technology to take part. However, she stresses her views on current border checks are her personal opinion.

Tory chief whip John Lamont said: “It should be straightforward for authorities in these countries to share information with police. People are generally happy to see migrants come into Scotland, providing they want to integrate. These hospitable intentions will soon sour if criminals arrive instead.”

The onus for flagging up any threat lies with authorities in a person’s home country, so an EU national can be refused entry to the UK.

From October 2014, the Government intends to connect to the Schengen Information System (SIS II) which will provide British police officers with real-time access to EU law enforcement alerts.

The Home Office believes it will strengthen the UK’s ability to detect wanted people coming into the country.

A spokesman said: “Where we receive information that foreign nationals present a genuine threat to society, we are able to take action to prevent their entry to the UK.

“The Government is doing everything it can to prevent immigration abuse and, as the Home Secretary has said, it is right that EU members look to reform the way free movement rules work in future.”

Figures released yesterday by charity Broadway revealed around 10% of London’s homeless are from Bulgaria or Romania.

A Romanian employment agency has predicted 80% of the country’s population will look to move abroad. Workers from Bulgaria are also expected to head west for better living conditions.

According to Romanian recruiters Tjobs, the UK has been the most popular destination for three out of the past four years. There have been almost 2,500 applications to work in Scotland since June 2010.

Raluca Stefanescu, of Tjobs, said: “Most leave the country for purely economic reasons. More than 80% plan to work abroad for a few years, save money and come home.

“For example, a Romanian taxi driver working in the UK will do a 12-hour day, six days a week, and could make up to £2,000 per month. After accommodation, meals and other personal costs he is saving up to £800.

“The UK was the desired working destination for Romanians in the ’90s. But, due to worldwide migration to the UK and the economic environment, it is not as popular as it was.”

Marek Harcar brutally murdered Moira Jones in May 2008. The 40-year-old’s body was later found in Glasgow’s Queen’s Park, just yards from her home.

It emerged during the trial Harcar had been able to enter the country freely despite having 13 convictions, four involving violence, in his native Slovakia. Harcar was jailed for life and told he must serve a minimum of 25 years before he could be considered for parole.

Vitas Plytnykas was given a minimum 28-year sentence for the murder of Jolanta Bledaite in 2008. He’d previously been convicted of manslaughter in Germany in 2001 after stabbing a man to death.

Sex offender Patrick Rae was also able to enter Scotland freely. The 36-year-old was jailed in June 2011 for a minimum of 20 years after being found guilty of murdering Mary McLaren. Rae, from the Republic of Ireland, had a string of previous convictions, including rape.

A report, drawn up by Lothian and Borders Assistant Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, recommended considering legislation to force foreign nationals entering the country to reveal sexual convictions.

Extra reporting by John Paul Breslin