British-funded French police have been filmed watching dozens of migrants rush along beaches to board small boats and cross the English Channel.
The shocking events occurred despite a staggering £500m investment by the UK government as part of a three-year contract with France, which aims to end dangerous crossings.
The large injection of money will be used for vehicles and surveillance equipment, including drones, that will help monitor the area.
In images shared with itvThe latest UK-funded device was seen in action by French police officers who let migrants cross in front of them.
A large group of migrants, including children, were seen huddled together as they crossed the beach before starting to run across the sand to reach a small boat.
A large group of migrants were seen running across a beach before boarding a small boat as they prepared to head towards the UK in front of UK-funded French police.
Some migrants could be seen carrying small children, but none appeared to be wearing a life jacket as they headed out to sea.
The British-funded French police stood by and allowed the event to unfold before them. The UK Border Force then sent a ship to recover the migrants.
The boat, packed with luggage and bound for the UK, made a bold U-turn towards the beach where the police were present.
Dressed only in hoodies and jeans, none of the passengers appeared to be wearing life jackets as they traveled toward shore.
Young children were seen jumping puddles and running towards the sea early in the morning as the sun rose before footage showed a small boat drifting in open water.
Meanwhile, the French police stood by and let the situation develop without any interference.
The boat, packed with luggage and heading towards the UK, made a bold U-turn towards the beach where the police were present.
And without hesitation, they picked up more migrants who were waiting expectantly on the beach, with no apparent concern for the agents ahead.
Dozens more migrants could be seen looking around before running across the icy waters and boarding the small boat.
As passengers piled onto the rubber boat, it became dangerously overloaded, and a French officer estimated that there were a total of 100 people on board before it left France.
The UK Border Force then sent a ship to recover the people in the English Channel.
Footage showed their arrival at the port of Dover, where they are currently being processed, including consideration of any asylum claims.
The shocking video raises further questions about UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s ability to deliver on his promise to “stop the boats”.
It also raises serious questions about the French government’s dedication to the multi-billion dollar UK-funded deal.
British Home Secretary James Cleverly said in February that the two countries would “expand” cooperation which he said had proven successful, citing figures showing a 36 percent reduction in crossings in 2023.
But the commitment is proving difficult to fulfill, as more than 2,000 migrants were brought ashore in March alone.
A key element of the strategy is the plan to send small ships to Rwanda, but legislation to implement that plan was not passed before Easter because peers inflicted a series of defeats on the Government and ministers did not try to rush its approval before of Parliament’s approval. break.
It will now be considered by MPs when Parliament resumes on April 15, with the Commons likely to undo the latest changes made by the Lords and send it back to the upper house.
Dozens of migrants waited for the boat to turn back before boarding it as well, making the boat dangerously overloaded.
A police vehicle could be seen passing by the immigrants, but no officer intervened. It comes after the UK made a staggering £500m investment in surveillance vehicles and equipment as part of a three-year contract with France aimed at ending crossings.
A French officer estimated that there were a total of 100 people on board before leaving France.
The latest crossings bring the provisional total number of arrivals in 2024 so far to 2,006
The shocking images raise questions about British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s ability to deliver on his promise to “stop the boats.”
ITV News also shared footage of two other crossing attempts that took place in the same area on the same morning.
The first showed a group of about 45 people hiding in the sand dunes before reaching the beach.
And although they were detained by police, no arrests were made and no interrogations were conducted.
Instead, they were escorted back to their camp near Dunkirk, where they remain free to attempt to cross the dangerous English Channel again.
Another boat was also detained, not due to the intervention of the French police, but because the boat sank.
The 40 people aboard the sinking ship tried to jump off the ship into the water to save their lives, but after becoming trapped in thick mud along the banks of a canal in northern France, they had to be rescued. .
It comes after a seven-year-old girl died in the English Channel after migrants tried to sail to Britain last month.
A small boat carrying 16 migrants was heading from northern France to Britain when it capsized, the prefecture of the Northern France department said at the time.
The boat, which was “not the right size to carry that many people,” was carrying a surprising 10 children in total, as well as a pregnant woman, and officials said none were wearing life jackets.
The number of people making the dangerous journey from France to Britain has reached record levels, with more people traveling in the first three months of 2024 than in the same period in any other year.
The previous record number from January to March was 4,548 in 2022, with 3,793 arrivals in the first quarter of last year.