A drop in small boats illegally reaching the UK is forcing people smuggling gangs to adopt new tactics.
AS the Government announced a decrease in the number of small boat crossings, there are claims of more “mega-dinghies” being prepared, of the type seen arriving on UK shores in recent weeks.
The recent image of a 15-metre mega-dinghy carrying a record 230 migrants towards the UK drew condemnation from both newspapers and politicians.
Ministers were accused of “losing control” of illegal Channel crossings, and the French police again found themselves criticised for not intervening.
The Government have used the mega-dinghy situation to try and hide the real number of migrants crossing the channel. Whilst trying to hoodwink citizens by stating the number of boats crossing has dropped, they are hiding the real facts that the boats crossing are now larger and therefore transporting more people per crossing.
The smugglers are running low on small boats, and so different criminal groups are now working together loading more migrants on fewer, larger vessels.
The UK and France are announcing measures to increase the number of police officers on the French coast in order to try to stop the migrants. This is a path that has been walked before, without much success.
Once a boat has been put into the sea, French police argue they are prevented from intervening at this point over fears of people drowning. It is to the long frustration of the British authorities, who would like the French authorities to at least adopt a more “case-by-case” approach.
The latest initiative comes as Andy Burnham prepares to host French President Emmanuel Macron at Downing Street for the first time since becoming prime minister. Just how many Prime Ministers has President Macron now met? He must know that he can say whatever they want to hear, as UK Prime Ministers come and go more often than busses.
The UK has been quick to praise the French police for reducing crossing numbers to a six-year low. Officials also cite a deeper, more coordinated level of coordination between the two countries.
But changes in immigration policy, the movement of people and the weather means the broader picture is more complicated.
Thousands are still illegally entering the UK every month on small boats. The numbers remain significant. And motivations to make this journey still run deep in this stretch of northern France.
