UK accused of not doing enough to stop Channel migrant crossings

The United Kingdom is not sufficiently coordinating with French efforts to reduce the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, a French report alleges. Britain has disputed the claims.

This aerial picture taken on September 16, 2023, from an aircraft belonging to the French Police Aux Frontieres, shows migrants onboard of a dinghy used for smuggling as they attempt to cross the English Channel to Britain from a beach at Le Touquet, northern France. AFP - SAMEER AL-DOUMY

France’s Court of Accounts singles out what it calls the “uncertain effectiveness” of illegal migration policies, adding that France has struggled to develop operational cooperation arrangements" with the UK.

The court is in charge of auditing the use of public funds and is independent from the government and the parliament.

Its report, published Thursday, refers in particular to a joint intelligence unit created in 2020 to fight human smuggling and reduce the number of people risking their lives to cross the Channel.

In 2022 that unit helped to dismantle seven people-smuggling networks.

However the court found that the British have not been providing usable information on the departures of small boats, while giving very general, first-level information that has not been counter-checked.

Information on the nationality of migrants and the circumstances under which they arrive  “appears to be very patchy", the report said.

“The relationship between France and the UK is therefore unbalanced in terms of information and intelligence exchange.”

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Report 'biased'

Britain's Home Office rejected the claims, saying the report was based on out-of-date information and did not accurately reflect the current working relationship and intelligence sharing with France.

“In the last two years, we have taken more robust action alongside them to crack down on vile people-smuggling gangs and stop the boats,” the Home Office said in a statement.

“We continue to work closely with French partners at all levels, helping to drive forward improvements in the prevention of crossing attempts, both on the beaches and long before they reach them."

Britain's Defence Ministry estimated that English Channel boat crossings increased by at least 58 percent between 2021 and 2022 – a year that saw more than 45,000 migrants arrive on British shores.

However the report said 56 percent of crossing attempts were prevented that same year — unchanged from the year before.

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Policy shift

The Court of Accounts has suggested enacting policies that would encourage migrants to voluntarily move back to their home countries, such as offering them money.

Such policies have been proven to have “significant efficiency” it argued, noting that France was lagging behind the UK and Germany in that respect.

The body also recommended a better organisation of border guards and police.

Irregular immigration costs France about 1.8 billion euros each year and involves 16,000 state employees, police and military.

(with newswires)