Border force alert to risk of migrants crossing from France
CONSIDERABLE effort is being put into reducing the likelihood of people coming to the island illegally, the Guernsey Border Agency has said.
Since November there has been a rise in migrants attempting to reach the UK in small boats.
At least 239 people are known to have crossed the English Channel, including 12 who were found off the Kent coast last week.
Guernsey Border Agency assistant chief officer Peter Knee said that although the recent increase had been widely reported, the GBA is ever-vigilant to the evolving issue.
‘The migrant situation is not new and has been happening for many years now, this is just the latest iteration,’ he said.
‘The GBA continues to work closely with UK and French authorities, as well as our colleagues in Jersey, to identify, deter and prevent illegal immigration.
‘We also ensure we proactively respond to any emerging threats and are monitoring the current situation should there be a displacement identified that may affect the islands.’
On Tuesday, French authorities said they had stopped 14 migrants attempting to cross the Channel from Boulogne.
This is just the latest group in a growing number of people intercepted by the French authorities in the past month.
UK Border Force currently has two coastal patrol vessels in the Channel, as well as two cutters which can rescue several boatloads of people at once. Following a Home Office request, a Royal Navy patrol ship was sent to the Channel on Thursday to deter migrant crossings.
Mr Knee said the GBA was reducing the possibility of migrants reaching Guernsey through deterrent activities, intelligence, and supporting the disruption of overseas of organised crime groups.
‘Nonetheless should there be any attempt to illegally enter by using similar unsuitable craft as those being used to cross the English Channel, our initial primary focus would be on preventing loss of life,’ he said.
‘If the public see a suspicious vessel, the advice is simple: see something, say something.’
