Swoops reveal hidden side of the Fair City

Jun 13 2008 by Jenny Wood

RAIDS in Perth last week revealed a dark, seedy side few were aware of in the Fair City.

In the daytime and evening illegal immigrants work in some of the town’s prominent restaurants and takeaways, and over-night they are crammed dangerously into properties across Perth in the sleeping-quarter equivalent of a sweatshop.

But last Thursday, for some of those here on stolen time, their ticket was up when one of the biggest raids – involving 40 or so officials – led by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) in Scotland swooped on Perth.

At 5pm, with the sun blazing down on commuters heading home and just as diners started to trickle into restaurants and takeaways across the town, raid teams simultaneously struck three businesses in Perth.

Each raid team was made up of a dozen or so officials from the Home Office, Tayside Police, HM Customs and Excise, environmental heath service and the Department of Work and Pensions.

In one raid, on the Manzil in Perth’s York Place, a family had just settled down for their ‘buffet special’ when a dozen officers rushed in to the popular Indian restaurant.

All entrances and exits were swiftly sealed off and front-of-house waiters and backroom kitchen staff – eight in all – were filed out to be interviewed.

Moments later another employee was discovered hiding in a cupboard.

Officers questioning the nine staff quickly established more than half – one waiter and four kitchen staff – were illegal immigrants.

And the drama continued elsewhere in the town; surprise swoops were also underway in the Aladdin takeaways, one on Edinburgh Road and the other on West Mains Avenue.

When the raid team rolled up at one of the takeaways, two members of staff attempted to flee out of a rear door, but were forced to instantly give themselves up when they ran straight into officers covering the back exit.

Between the two takeaways, five more illegal workers were rounded up – one of them was also discovered to be wanted by police in Dumfries and Galloway.

Incredibly, within minutes of the raids starting in Perth, 10 illegal immigrants had been found in just three locations.

The discovery of the illegal workers then sparked searches of their homes.

Teams dispersed to comb properties across Perth, and as far afield as Auchterarder, in a quest to unravel the men’s stories and find paperwork which could confirm their identity and secure their swift removal from the UK.

One kitchen-hand claimed he was 28 and married to a British woman. But in his squalid Perth flat the man’s true name was discovered, as was identification which revealed he was actually 30 and from Pakistan, with documents indicating he had a wife there.

The information trail led immigration officials to two flats in a block of about 12 on Perth’s High Street.

But the doors of the ordinary looking flats proved to hide a dark side to Perth few knew existed.

Every square foot of the two small dingy flats was crammed with mattresses. Some of the cramped occupants were lucky enough to have beds, others slept on the filthy floor.

Immigration officials carried out a fingertip search of the properties – raking though suitcases, lifting rugs and mattresses, looking inside kitchen cupboards, sorting through clothes, even opening up a loft – to find any paperwork to verify who the men were.

An evidence gatherer confirmed the searches had proved fruitful: “We found one passport, a driving licence, ID card and supporting information for three men,” she said.

A raid team then moved on to the Hong Kong Express on Bridgend’s Main Street. Before they even had a chance to secure the premises, staff were fleeing from the premises on foot. Officers managed to apprehend one man, who was found to have been working illegally and arrested.

With cells now bursting at the seams and the clock ticking to complete paperwork on time for the unexpectedly high number of men arrested, the operation was called off and the remaining targets which had been earmarked for the night ahead continued their business as usual, unaware there should have been a raid team closing in on them – and perhaps, for some, a lucky escape.

For the restaurants at the centre of last Thursday’s operation, their woe is not over yet. Already stripped of several members of staff, the businesses could now face further investigations from the agencies involved in the raids and also fines of up to £10,000 per illegal worker.

Reflecting on the night’s results, Inspector Paul Menzies, liaison officer between the Scottish Police Service and the UK Border Agency, and the man leading the operation, hopes the raids would serve as a warning to those flouting the law and he hinted the raid teams may return to Perth.

He said: “I am delighted with the professional manner in which the operation was carried out and I am thankful to all the officers involved and the respective agencies.

“I am not surprised with the amount of arrests as this was an intelligence-led operation,” he explained.

“I am, however, disappointed with the failure of the small percentage of employers who fail to comply with the legislation,” admitted Inspector Menzies.

“I would encourage all employers to contact the Home Office for guidance and assistance in checking the identity of all prospective employees.

“Any employer who is knowingly engaging in such unscrupulous practises of employing illegals should treat this as a warning,” he said.

“Any credible information and intelligence will be acted on and there may well be further enforcement action in the Perth area. The UKBA is committed to working in partnership to ensure community safety in line with the Home Office values,” warned the officer.

Employers unsure of the steps they need to taketo avoid employingillegal workers can visit www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers/ or call the UK Border Agency Employers Helpline on 0845 010 6677.

Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed at a business should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where anonymity can be assured.