UK to help France fund fight against migrant Channel crossings
AFP - [email protected]
Published: 25 Jan, 2019 CET.
Updated: Fri 25 Jan 2019 08:59 CET
Britain on Thursday promised to pay for the deployment of new surveillance equipment in France to fight illegal cross-Channel migration.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner met his British counterpart Sajid Javid in London to hone police efforts to stamp out a surge in dangerous
attempts by small boats to reach the United Kingdom.
An action plan signed by Castaner and Javid includes broader intelligence sharing and the installation of CCTV cameras that can offer live feeds from ports and "areas where migrants may attempt to embark boats" in France.
Britain will spend 7 million euros ($7.9 million) to cover the installation costs and also purchase new night goggles and cameras to capture licence plates and automatically transmit them to police.
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Photo: AFP
Around half this amount had already been pledged in a similar agreement signed in January 2018.
"It is vital we continue to work closely with our French partners to stop vulnerable migrants making these treacherous crossings and tackle the people smugglers who are putting their lives in danger," Javid said.
Castaner said the new action plan "once again shows the UK's commitment to managing our shared border along with us".
'No Eldorado'
A total of 504 people -- the vast majority in the last two months -- attempted to cross the Channel to Britain last year.
French interior ministry figures show 276 people successfully reaching British waters.
There were only 13 known attempts in 2017.
The crossings have received broad media attention in Britain and put pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government to respond.
Control over borders and migration was an emotive issue that helped the Brexit-backing camp win the 2016 referendum on leaving the EU.
Photo: AFP
London in December dispatched a navy ship to help existing coastguard boats watch over the 21 miles (33 kilometres) of sea that separate France and Britain at its narrowest point.
France also responded by announcing broader surveillance measures in its own "action plan" in early January.
Castaner said it was sheer luck that no one died making the treacherous journey in overloaded dinghies.
"But if tomorrow there is a death -- just one death -- it would be our collective responsibility," he said.
Castaner added that illegal migrants from troubled Middle Eastern countries who have been making the most recent journeys must know that "there is no
Eldorado, no European dream" awaiting them in Britain.
The number of Channel crossings was just a tiny fraction of the 55,756 successful attempts made across Mediterranean to Spain that were recorded by the UN's refugee agency in 2018.
Security experts are divided about the causes of a sudden surge in illicit attempts to reach the UK that began in October.
But most agree that unusually calm seas and warm weather were contributing factors.
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French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner met his British counterpart Sajid Javid in London to hone police efforts to stamp out a surge in dangerous
attempts by small boats to reach the United Kingdom.
An action plan signed by Castaner and Javid includes broader intelligence sharing and the installation of CCTV cameras that can offer live feeds from ports and "areas where migrants may attempt to embark boats" in France.
Britain will spend 7 million euros ($7.9 million) to cover the installation costs and also purchase new night goggles and cameras to capture licence plates and automatically transmit them to police.
READ ALSO:
Photo: AFP
Around half this amount had already been pledged in a similar agreement signed in January 2018.
"It is vital we continue to work closely with our French partners to stop vulnerable migrants making these treacherous crossings and tackle the people smugglers who are putting their lives in danger," Javid said.
Castaner said the new action plan "once again shows the UK's commitment to managing our shared border along with us".
'No Eldorado'
A total of 504 people -- the vast majority in the last two months -- attempted to cross the Channel to Britain last year.
French interior ministry figures show 276 people successfully reaching British waters.
There were only 13 known attempts in 2017.
The crossings have received broad media attention in Britain and put pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government to respond.
Control over borders and migration was an emotive issue that helped the Brexit-backing camp win the 2016 referendum on leaving the EU.
Photo: AFP
London in December dispatched a navy ship to help existing coastguard boats watch over the 21 miles (33 kilometres) of sea that separate France and Britain at its narrowest point.
France also responded by announcing broader surveillance measures in its own "action plan" in early January.
Castaner said it was sheer luck that no one died making the treacherous journey in overloaded dinghies.
"But if tomorrow there is a death -- just one death -- it would be our collective responsibility," he said.
Castaner added that illegal migrants from troubled Middle Eastern countries who have been making the most recent journeys must know that "there is no
Eldorado, no European dream" awaiting them in Britain.
The number of Channel crossings was just a tiny fraction of the 55,756 successful attempts made across Mediterranean to Spain that were recorded by the UN's refugee agency in 2018.
Security experts are divided about the causes of a sudden surge in illicit attempts to reach the UK that began in October.
But most agree that unusually calm seas and warm weather were contributing factors.
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