A network of crime "schools" in Britain helps illegal immigrants survive outside the law

Paul Whitehouse:

A NETWORK of illicit crime "colleges" where illegal immigrants have learned how to survive outside the law has been unearthed during a police investigation in Sheffield.

Officers are now working to try to trace the people responsible for operating three houses where failed asylum seekers were instructed in techniques to obtain money and services which were not officially obtainable.

So far they have been unable to establish who was responsible for operating the three addresses or why they were established, but the assumption is that they were set up to make a profit in some form.

Police also suspect they may be part of a wider network spanning other major cities because many of the immigrants found to be linked to the Sheffield addresses had arrived in England at airports in different parts of the country and had no obvious reason to gravitate towards the city.

The discovery was made as a result of a police investigation into a sudden surge in pickpocketing offences at two locations in the city centre, the Peace Gardens and the Castle Market area.

Descriptions given by many victims were similar and the work culminated in a series of 150 stop checks on people in the street, which revealed almost two-thirds were either awaiting asylum decisions, had applications to stay in this country rejected or had simply entered the UK illegally.

Interviews with those led police back to three addresses, on the Arbourthorne and Manor estates.

Initially, officers believed they were simply used as temporary accommodation but they uncovered evidence that those staying there were being taught how to survive without state help.

The police operation was painstaking because of language difficulties.

However, the investigators are satisfied they have not yet found those who were responsible for setting up the addresses and work to trace them was continuing last night.

Officers have traced two businesses which were employing illegal immigrants, however.

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