Want to reduce illegal crossings through the English Channel to zero: UK Official

London [UK], February 3 (ANI): Carol Heginbottom, Deputy Director, International Operations, Small Boats Operational Command (SBOC) at the UK Home Office, has said that UK has been able to reduce illegal migrant crossings through the English Channel through surveillance and technical capability.
Calling it the "most dangerous" way to enter the UK, Heginbottom further stated that Britain wants to reduce illegal crossings through the English Channel to zero.
Speaking about the people entering the UK through the English Channel, She said, "Well, I can tell you that it's the most dangerous way to enter the UK illegally. People are risking their lives to come illegally to this country, duped by the criminal gangs that are organizing and exploiting these poor people."
In an interview with ANI, Carol Heginbottom said, "Last year we managed to cut down on the numbers. We had 26,000 arrive, which is a good number compared to the previous year, but no number is a good number. We want those down to absolutely zero. That is the only way that we will end the the tragedy of the last three years of small boats coming across the Channel."

Her remarks come as the UK Home Office organised an international media visit to Dover on February 2 with the team at the Small Boats Operational Command (SBOC). Through the visit, the international journalists got the chance to see first-hand the vessels carrying illegal immigrants that cross the English Channel and the conditions they are in.

James Grace, Assistant Director, International Operations, Small Boats Operational Command demonstrated the unseaworthy vessels to show the callous disregard people smugglers have for the lives and safety of the vulnerable people they exploit. The aim of the visit was to reach a wider international audience to deter migrants from making these perilous journeys in the first place.

Heginbottom lauded the joint efforts of the UK and France in reducing illegal crossings through the English Channel. She said the French government has increased the deployment of personnel to stop the illegal crossings. She noted that the UK has increased surveillance and technical capability to help in the initiative.
Highlighting the efforts made by UK and France to reduce the illegal migrant crossings, Heginbottom stated, "So, it's been a number of initiatives that we have taken. Probably the most important one is our excellent work with the French and the cooperation that we've had working with our French counterparts."
"They have increased their number of personnel to prevent the launches. We have increased our surveillance and technical capability to help in this initiative. We've had agreements with Albania so that we can send people back, those that are breaking the law coming into this country illegally. And we've worked with law enforcement further upstream as well to try and stop that boat supply," she added.
She said that there are a number of Indians who have entered the UK by crossing the English Channel. She noted that the number of Indians entering the UK on small boats is growing.
Asked about the number of Indians crossing the Channel on small boats, she said, "Of course, there are a number of Indians that have crossed the channel in small boats and the number is sadly growing and our work is to try and prevent as many of these crossings as possible to stop the boats to get that message out to as many people as we can that they are risking their lives and the lives of their family making this treacherous journey across that small stretch of water. You would have seen how dangerous the boats are, how they are put together with no care or regard for the people that will be travelling in them. So the number is increasing and we need that number to be zero."
According to the UK Home Office Press Office, India is among the top 10 nations from where illegal immigrants make this perilous journey through the English Channel to reach the UK.
In the last two years, 76,000 people from countries across the world have taken the dangerous and illegal journey across the English Channel to try to reach the UK. This crisis has been fuelled by evil Organised Crime Groups operating across Europe who tells lies to vulnerable people in order to get them to risk their lives.
She highlighted that organized criminal gangs only care for profits and they seek to make more profits year on year. She added that there is a lot of violence involved in the operation.
On being asked about the ways smugglers conduct the whole operation, the UK Home Office official said, "The organised criminal gangs only care about profits, they only care about making as much money out of this terrible journey and so they care nothing about the people involved. They will take their money and put them more or less to their deaths in these death traps to cross the channel and enter illegally. They care nothing other than building more profits year on year."
She also spoke about the terrible condition of people when they enter the UK. She said that people are scared when they reach the beaches because it is dark and cold.
Speaking about the violence involved in the process, she said, "There's an incredible amount of violence. We have heard from migrants who have made it over the terrifying ordeal that they've had when sometimes forced to leave France in these boats. The criminal gangs want to make money. They want a good reputation to say that they can bring people to the UK. So a lot of people are scared when they get to the beaches. It's dark. It's cold. The children are crying. They're upset, they can see just how bad the boats are. They can see that they're starting to sink and sometimes at knife point they can be forced into that boat to get over here."
Sharing details on how people are being pushed into this method to enter the UK, Carol Heginbottom said, "The communication that is involved is generally on social media. They are in touch with criminal gangs. The criminal gangs know how to target these people and they're brought across Europe in a number of ways. But once they get to France, they are told that this is the only way to get across and they are forced into these dangerous crossings."
She noted that the crossing costs depend on how many people are going to sit in the boat, weather and the risk involved in crossing through the English Channel.
Asked on how much does it cost to enter UK by crossing the English Channel, Heginbottom said, "The crossing costs, it all depends on how many people are going to get into that boat. It depends on the time of year. It depends on the weather and how much risk there is involved. It's becoming increasingly expensive, and so the migrants are pushed in in higher numbers so that the criminal gangs can increase their profits at all costs. So numbers vary, but they only care about making the profits out of people."
She stated that people who have crossed the English Channel on boats arrive in the UK in terrible condition. She said that the people who have crossed the English Channel will have terrible injuries and fuel burns.
Speaking about the authorities' first step after people enter the UK by crossing the English Channel, She said, "So, the first thing, because of the treachery at sea, a lot of the people will arrive in a terrible condition. They will have terrible injuries that they've suffered either on the beach in France or during the journey from fuel burns, from cuts, from knives. You've seen some of the hard flooring on the boats. Their nails stuck out. Children have had nail injuries into their feet and things like that. So, first and foremost, our job is to take care of them and give them the medical attention that a lot of people need having carried out this horrible journey."
The UK has introduced new legislation so that people arriving in the country illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country such as Rwanda.
The Small Boats Operational Command, alongside French counterparts and other law enforcement colleagues, have been able to reduce small boat arrivals by more than a third in 2023 in comparison to the previous year.
The UK in cooperation with France has been able to reduce 26,000 dangerous, illegal and unnecessary crossing attempts. However, despite the drop in numbers, fatalities in 2023 were up three-fold in comparison to 2022, caused by the ruthless behaviour of organised criminals.
On January 15, five people tragically perished in their attempt to cross the Channel, the third fatal crossing in three months. Winter weather meant there were only 13 days with crossings from November 1 to January 15. (ANI)