Multiple reports indicate dozens of migrants boarded a dinghy destined for England from a beach near Dunkirk while French police officers watched. Chaos erupted as migrants raced through the water and fought for spots on the dinghy, with some at risk of being submerged. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp branded the inaction disgraceful, stating that French police, funded with British taxpayers' money, stood idly by while migrants embarked.
Why French police chose not to intervene remains unclear. The migrants included families with young children and were mostly men from Africa and the Middle East, according to major media reports. , and French police later spoke to some migrants who failed to board the dinghy.
How many migrants successfully reached the UK in this specific incident has not been confirmed. This comes amid recent UK-France financial agreements to police Channel crossings. The UK recently agreed to a temporary two-month deal to pay France millions more to police the Channel.
2 million cheque to extend the current deal with France on March 31. Britain has given France £700 million to bolster police patrols, increase surveillance, and purchase new military-grade drones to stop Channel migrant crossings. Recent migrant crossing statistics show continued activity and fatalities.
137 migrants arrived on two small boats on Tuesday, April 7, and 325 asylum seekers made the dangerous crossing on five dinghies last week. Two migrants died after attempting to cross the Channel in an overcrowded boat on April 1; the deceased were a man from Sudan and another from Afghanistan. A court heard that authorities refused to intercept the small boat on April 1 because it was too full.
UK efforts to dissuade migrants have shown limited effectiveness. British officials are travelling to France on failed missions to try and persuade single male migrants that the UK is no longer an 'Eldorado' of cash hand-outs and free homes. UK government representatives have been coming once a month since October to a refugee reception centre near Arras to dissuade migrants from making the journey.
It is disgraceful that French police, who have been funded with hundreds of millions of pounds of British taxpayers' money, are standing idly by while floods of illegal immigrants embark to c
Despite these efforts, more than 90 percent of migrants continue on their journey to England. French interception rates have declined, with ongoing tactical developments. French officers are only intercepting a third of attempts, down from 50% when the £475 million deal between Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron was struck.
French police have stopped boats multiple times in the water in the last month. British and French officials are still developing their tactics, which could be rolled out more widely in the future, though what specific tactics are being developed remains unknown. Internal UK frustrations over policies and resource limitations are growing.
There are growing frustrations within Border Force over Keir Starmer's 'one-in-one-out' deal with Emmanuel Macron, with some officers believing it isn't a deterrent. The UK is returning 30 people a week and accepting 40/50 a week, resulting in net migration going up. The UK can only detain 75 new arrivals, and the detention estate isn't sufficient.
Operation Hillmore isn't a deterrent. More resources are needed, including detention spaces, charter aircraft spaces, and more cooperation with the French. France doesn't want these migrants there, even if Britain pays them for it.
Overall flows of migration are not expected to be any lower than in previous years. The UK government wasn't listening to staff who were telling them about the blockages. If you are not part of Operation Hillmore, you could be in the UK for five to eight years before anyone catches up to you.
It is much easier to work in the UK and send money back compared to other countries. The exact terms and effectiveness of the 'one-in-one-out' deal are not detailed.