200 war criminals identified by Britain but only three deported

Last year it was disclosed that a special war crimes unit within the UK Border Agency had recommended action against 495 individuals in the previous five years, with 383 remaining at large. Photo: REX

Official figures show that the UK Border Agency has recommended that action be taken against more than 200 individuals accused of torture, genocide or crimes against humanity in the past 18 months alone.

But only a handful have been deported or turned away at the border, while some have been granted asylum after successfully arguing they would face retribution if they returned home.

It is unclear if any of the alleged warlords are being investigated by police, prompting fresh claims that Britain is a “safe haven” for soldiers in overseas conflicts. Last year private individuals were banned from starting criminal prosecutions for alleged war crimes, after a diplomatic spat with Israel.

Redress, a human rights pressure group, said: “A major concern is what is happening to those suspects. Does the UKBA refer them all to the Metropolitan Police for investigation with a view to seeing if they can be prosecuted here? Full Story>>>