Operation Maxim

What is Operation MAXIM

Operation MAXIM is a Metropolitan Police Service partnership with the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) targeting organised immigration crime across London.

What we do

MAXIM is a London-wide programme involving a dedicated team of Police and Immigration Officers and staff from the CPS, working together on pro-active intelligence-led operations targeting people involved in organised immigration crime throughout London. We deal with

• Human Trafficking
• The facilitation of human beings into the UK
• Identity document abuse
• Proceeds of Crime Act actions

The officers and police staff are divided into three teams; the Organised Immigration Crime team which carries out pro-active operations throughout London; the Human Trafficking Team, which responds to reports of trafficking of people; and the Intelligence Development Unit IDU that researches information and prepares operational packages for the other two teams.

MAXIM works to Level 2 of the National Intelligence Model, which means that it deals with cases concerning 'cross-border crime'.

MAXIM officers attend regular tasking and coordinating meetings, within the framework of the Economic and Specialist Crime Command. New and current operations are discussed, as are resources, strategies, enforcement and prevention opportunities.

How can I help in the fight against organised immigration crime?

If you have information about people involved in the forging or supplying of identity documents, or who are suspected of being human traffickers, MAXIM would like to know. If you would like to make contact with us, please do so in complete confidence by filling out our contact form.

Maxim is currently working with the printing industry to prevent specialist equipment being obtained by criminals - to find out more about this please visit the Project Genesius page.

Results 2008 - 2009

MAXIM has obtained convictions for a wide range of immigration related offences, including the conviction of a man for a visa scam whereby many people entered the UK on false documentation; sham marriages where young women, who thought they were going to be models, ended up as part of a criminal operation; and also disruptions of a number of illegal passport factories in London. A joint operation with the Identity and Passport Service uncovered people falsely endorsing passport applications and photographs.

	April 2007 - April 2008	April 2008 - April 2009
Total Arrests	101	71
Passports seized	1951	1190
UK Driving Licences seized	2	1
Other UK based ID docs seized	558	7
Non UK ID docs seized	268	450
Immigration stamps seized	68	1
Laminators / Embossing machines	20	32
Computers seized	15	16