Britain plans to impose life sentence on kidnappers

London. A report says the UK government wants to increase the maximum sentence for human traffickers who bring illegal immigrants to life imprisonment. The most severe punishment for human trafficking is currently 14 years.

“While criminal gangs continue to pose a risk to life, we are considering every option to prevent people from being exploited,” a Times Home Office spokesman reported Monday about the plans.

Strict measures are aimed at reducing illegal migration

Home Minister Priti Patel wants to introduce more stringent measures in the coming weeks to further curb illegal migration. According to the report, the government hopes that harsher punishments will extend the average detention rate for human traffickers. This is currently expected to be about three years.

Several thousand immigrants crossed the English Channel last year. They often made dangerous crossings on small rubber dinghies, killing people several times. So Great Britain and France have increased their police forces on the coasts.

On Saturday alone, 87 people in four small boats crossed the English Channel, with 531 arriving since the beginning of the year. This figure is 40 percent higher than the same period last year. Since the end of the Brexit transition phase, the UK has had a rigorous, point-based immigration system.