British border security officers have been deployed to the Balkans for the first time in an effort to disrupt the networks smuggling people into the UK.

Working with Europe’s border patrol agency Frontex, they have been tasked with developing new ways of tracking down and arresting smugglers.

The team will train local guards to use British-made drones, night-vision goggles and biometric technology to trace people moving along the so-called Balkan route – the corridor stretching from Turkey through Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, before winding towards western Europe.

Since 2016, almost 1 million crossings have been registered, according to the Forced Migration Review (FMR).

Today, the route remains one of the most used by people, mainly from the Middle East,

See Full Page