The Government has promised to 'smash' the gangs that smuggle migrants across the Channel. Who are they and how do they work?

Britain said on Thursday it had signed a security pact with Iraq to target people smuggling gangs and strengthen border co-operation, the latest in its efforts to crack down on illegal migration. "There are smuggler gangs profiting from dangerous small boat crossings whose operations stretch back through Northern France,

She met ministers from the federal government in Baghdad and regional leaders in Kurdistan in the north where many smuggling gangs are based. The agreement will involve greater intelligence sharing and more joint law enforcement operations,