In two days, over 1,000 migrants cross Channel to UK

The Home Office said UK support last year helped France double the number of officers deployed daily on the beaches of its northern coast…reports Asian Lite News.

More than 1,000 migrants arrived in Britain over two days this weekend as good weather saw the return of small boat crossings, the Telegraph reported.

UK government said it had rescued or intercepted a total of 1,115 migrants attempting to cross the English Channel over just two days.

The huge increase in Channel crossings by migrants in small boats have contributed to growing tensions between the UK and France following former’s departure from the European Union.

The UK authorities on Saturday recovered 491 people in 17 operations and 624 people in 23 operations on Friday, while French authorities prevented 414 migrants from reaching the UK over the same two days, media reported.

In July, UK and France had agreed on deal to stem the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in which France will double the number of police patrolling its beaches.

Also, the UK will pay more than 54 million pounds as part of the deal agreed between ministers, according to a BBC report.

The Home Office said the two countries would also improve intelligence sharing and use better technology to target those who organise the crossings. The number of people crossing the Channel this year has now overtaken last year’s total.

The Home Office said UK support last year helped France double the number of officers deployed daily on the beaches of its northern coast.

It said this resulted in France preventing twice as many crossings so far this year compared with the same period in 2020.

However, it said the people who facilitated the crossings had now changed their tactics and had moved further up the French coast, “forcing migrants to take even longer, riskier journeys”.

The new support announced by the UK would enable France “to respond by posting more security forces further up the coast, installing and utilising the latest surveillance equipment throughout northern France”, the Home Office said.

Home Office minister Victoria Atkins said the extra funding would “help to stem the flow of people seeking to make that very dangerous crossing”.

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