French riot police have begun patrolling the country’s northern beaches under a deal aimed at deterring small boat crossings, the Prime Minister has announced. Sir Keir Starmer said the new unit had been deployed as part of a “landmark” deal with France that stopped almost half of all attempted crossings in May.
Details of the Deployment
The deal, agreed in April, has seen 50 officers from the Compagnie Republicaine de Securité (CRS), France’s main anti-riot unit, sent to the Channel coast. They have reinforced the existing detachment of 75 specialist officers from the Compagnie de Marche established last year.
Downing Street claimed the Compagnie de Marche, "backed by enhanced drone, helicopter, plane and camera surveillance systems...will break up launch attempts, seize equipment and disrupt migrants before they reach the water."
Recent Crossings and Reactions
The announcement comes 24 hours after the Home Office confirmed 710 migrants crossed in small boats. French police have repeatedly sparked anger after dishing out dozens of lifejackets to Channel migrants who successfully evade officers on notorious beaches.
The Prime Minister said: “These elite units are just one element of the landmark deal between our countries that is taking our collaboration to the next level. Operations like this meant that almost half of all attempted crossings were halted by the French last month – so we’re boosting them further to continue to drive down crossings.”
In exchange, the UK has agreed to pay France up to £662 million over five years to support beach patrols. Downing Street said a surge in joint law enforcement operations since the deal was agreed had already led to 40% of attempted crossings being halted in May. Despite these efforts, some 2,726 people still made the crossing to Britain in May, around 1,000 fewer than in the same month last year.
Future Plans and Criticism
Additional officers are expected to be deployed during the summer months, when good weather increases attempts to cross the Channel. Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, said: “We are putting the pressure exactly where it needs to be – on French beaches, targeting the criminal gangs and stopping launches before they can happen. The Compagnie de Marche has already played a significant role in preventing illegal crossings. With these officers surged across the summer months, alongside the deployment of a new specialist riot unit, we are going even further to restore order and control at our borders.”
Paris will receive £220 million this year as part of a desperate bid to prevent a summer surge in arrivals. The Home Office claimed the deal will lead to almost 1,100 police, intelligence and military officers being deployed in Northern France to track down migrants and snare smugglers. This would be an increase of 40%, from almost 700 officers under Rishi Sunak’s deal with Emmanuel Macron, sources said. Paris has vowed to use a new maritime vessel – as well as 20 officers – to intercept more migrant taxi boats in the water. The French claimed they have stopped six of the vessels in the past two months.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will give Paris £500 million to pay for an increase in police patrols, a new vessel to intercept migrant taxi boats, two helicopters, drones and a camera surveillance system. The Home Office will give the French another £160m to test new tactics to stop Channel migrant crossings. But critics blasted the latest handouts as the three-year package will take the total given to Emmanuel Macron’s Government to more than £1.3 billion.
