A HAMPSHIRE police specialist unit has received national recognition.

Hampshire Constabulary's Commercial Vehicle Unit (CVU) was awarded a National Crime Agency (NCA) commendation at a special award ceremony.

The team work at boosting the fight against people smuggling into the UK.

They were given the award for their work in helping to tackle and disrupt organised crime groups attempting to smuggle people into the UK, in the back of their lorries.

Superintendent Simon Dodds, from the Joint Roads Policing Unit, said: "I am very proud of the Commercial Vehicle Team and their continued efforts in setting national standards.

"The recognition, following a nomination by the Immigration Service, acknowledges their commitment to partnership working to help develop intelligence, improve prosecution opportunities but also provide victim support to many of the migrants."

The small teams expertise, from the Joint Operations Unit for Hampshire and Thames Valley, has proved themselves as an asset to Immigration Officers.

The unit's officers are able to use their specialist equipment and training to interpret the taco-graphs and refrigeration units of commercial vehicles found with people inside them.

The readings then offer vital evidence in establishing when the migrants could have entered the vehicle, meaning they can determine at an early stage whether or not the driver could have been involved.

Their work has proved so valuable that the team are now automatically deployed to incidents to boost the policing response, while considering the welfare of those found.

A spokesperson for the NCA said: "The recognition, following a nomination by the Immigration Service, acknowledges their commitment to partnership working to help develop intelligence, improve prosecution opportunities but also provide victim support to many of the migrants."