A SPECIALIST team set up to target crime committed by foreign nationals is currently investigating more than 50 cases in Notts.

Officers from the Rebutia team in Notts have been working with the UK Border Agency to tackle a range of crimes committed in the East Midlands which range from producing fake passports to sex trafficking.

In the last year 71 foreign nationals have been cautioned or charged in Notts and 136 people dealt with – who may be the criminals themselves, their victims or people passing information to police about them.

PC Ben Skellern, part of the Notts Rebutia team - which works with the UK Border Agency to target foreign nationals who commit crime - said no one offence is more common in Notts but they have investigated cases at care homes and hospitals.

He said: "Care homes do have a large number of foreign nationals working within the private sector due to the nature of the work. This is where we see a lot of false documentation, people who are working here but have gone about it the wrong way.

"We also have three large hospitals where a lot of foreign nationals can be here working illegally."

Officers from Rebutia teams across the East Midlands joined the UK Border Agency today to mark the second anniversary of the operation.

As part of the operations run by the team, a Jamaican man who was living in Nottingham and suspected of drugs and firearms offences was not able to be convicted but was deported.

The team has also used European arrest warrants to remove criminals from the country - including a Serbian man who was living in Notts and was wanted for drug trafficking.

Andy Radcliffe, from the UK Border Agency, said: "Our Foreign National Crime Teams across the East Midlands are cracking down on serious and organised immigration crime. "We are creating a hostile atmosphere for offenders, who should know that we will find them and prosecute them."

The work of the UK Border Agency with specialist police teams from the East Midlands will be discussed at a meeting this afternoon at Leicestershire Police headquarters.