Sir Keir will meet Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, in Rome on Monday to see how the UK could emulate her success in more than halving migrant crossings of the Mediterranean. Her tactics have included crackdowns on the gangs, striking new returns agreements with source countries and fast-tracking deportations of failed asylum seekers.
The Prime Minister pledged Mr Hewitt would “lead a new era of international enforcement to dismantle these networks, protect our shores and bring order to the asylum system”.
Mr Hewitt, 58, who is accompanying Sir Keir to Italy, said: “I am honoured and excited to lead this new and groundbreaking command. I am under no illusions of the challenges that lie ahead, but I am determined to face them head-on.
“For too long, the criminal gangs who smuggle people through Europe have abused our borders in the name of profit, and they are responsible for the deaths of scores of vulnerable, innocent people. We will dismantle them, bring them to justice and prevent them from using exploitation and deceit to fill their pockets.
“It is great to see that progress has been made in recent weeks, and we will build on this to forge deeper relationships with all of the organisations within Border Security Command, as well as our friends and partners across the world.”
During his time in the Metropolitan Police, Mr Hewitt was seen as a “troubleshooter”. As well as being responsible for gangs, organised crime and frontline policing, he was tasked to devise a strategy to reverse low rape conviction rates. After seeing the carnage caused by zombie knives, he was one of the first police officers to call for new laws on them in 2018.
At the NPCC, he led the national policing response after the murder of Sarah Everard. During the pandemic, he was not afraid to be critical of badly drafted guidance and laws around lockdown.