It seems as if we're under suspicion as potential smugglers of people, drugs and bombs again.
Some rent-a-gob local MP in Kent has come up with a nice load of alarmist claptrap and has found a paper willing to publish it, along with a photo of him of course.
Fortunately that paper is only the deeply obscure "Kent on Sunday", but the article is a fine example of trying to wring the greatest possible amount of alarm out of some rather thin material.
The local rag is
here. The story follows:
Police vigilant over threat from private planes
By JAMIE McGINNES
LIGHT aircraft flown by gangs smuggling asylum seekers into Britain could be used by terrorists looking to enter undetected, Kent on Sunday can reveal.
And a senior MP has called for tighter monitoring of private aircraft crossing the Channel.
..Kent is the frontline in the battle against illegal immigration into Britain, and light aircraft that can land and take-off in small fields could become an increasingly popular choice for human traffickers.
..The county’s Deputy Chief Constable Bob Ayling confirmed that organised criminals using small aeroplanes have flown illegal immigrants into Kent from the Continent.
And shadow transport secretary Damian Green called on the Government to ensure that terrorists never have the chance to do the same.
..He said: “It wouldn’t be a hallmark of anything terrorist groups have done previously, but obviously we have to be on our guard all the time.
..“Kent’s geographical position is more vulnerable than any other part of the country to this type of illegal entry.”
..The Conservative MP for Ashford added: “It’s obviously a big risk just from the organised crime point of view.
..“If there’s intelligence information to suggest it’s a threat, it’s one of the many areas where the Government has to act quickly to ensure the people of Kent are not vulnerable.”
..Mr Ayling a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers’ terrorism and allied matters committee, said light aircraft have been used to smuggle drugs and illegal immigrants into Kent, but believed his officers were vigilant.
..He said: “Clearly a lot of our attention given to this area has the dual purpose of trying to detect organised crime, dealing with illegal immigrants and providing a deterrent in respect of its abuse by potential terrorists.
..“We have some level of confidence that the public and people who run small airfields will assist us to maintain the vigilance that’s clearly necessary.”
..But he admitted Kent could be vulnerable.
..He said: “It’s very, very difficult to have an absolutely watertight system. All we can do is keep a constant vigil.
..“We have got close tabs on monitoring possible landing sites in Kent.”
He added: “Light aircraft have featured as a route for bringing illegal immigrants into this country, but I wouldn’t describe it as a major problem at the moment.”
..Mr Ayling said although police had received reports of suspicious light aircraft landings in remote fields or airstrips around Kent, no-one involved has yet been caught.
..He said British police, working closely with their French counterparts, have managed to stop immigrants using fast inflatable boats from crossing the Channel. Police saw a rising use of the tactic last year.
..Robin Gordon, aerodrome manager at Lydd Airport in Romney Marsh, said
terrorists would find it difficult to side-step checks on pilots, or evade low-level
radar monitoring the Channel if they became airborne.
..But Nigel Knott, Kent spokesman for Customs and Excise, said organised criminals have attempted in the past to use light aircraft, including helicopters, to drop off drugs in the county.
..Mr Ayling, 52, who stepped down as Kent’s acting chief constable earlier this month, is retiring from the police in March after 33 years in the service.
..He said he felt the world would probably never be the same as it was before September 11.
..“The world is clearly at risk of terrorism in a way that has not happened before. We live in a world where organisations that feel their voice is not heard by legitimate means, by legitimate political expression, have been shown examples that their cause can be advanced by the use of terror.
..“It’s a sad fact, but I don’t see in the foreseeable future that we’re going to be in a much better position.”