The French authorities are concerned about the high number of deaths among those who attempt to sail across the English Channel in small vessels. As yet, nine persons have unfortunately perished while seeking their way through one of the scariest waters. The first half-year figures for deaths are different from last year’s twelve deaths.
Last week, a seven-year-old girl from Iraq lost her life as a result of the sinking of a smuggler’s vessel inside a man-made French waterway. Many people have died lately as smugglers are unable to safely move immigrants now, according to police and some politicians.
In particular, they argue that sea traffic like those explained above causes more and more deaths because at every passage, over fifty migrants perish. They also claim that all around the clock, all sea vessels are packed with immigrant travelers using unsafe means. Nevertheless, some critics claim that a heavily protected coast with state-of-the-art policing equipment bought from England is making these people risk their lives just to cross the Channel and Sea.
In a bid to cross the English Channel undetected, many illegal immigrants who come from such countries as Sudan, Vietnam, and Iraq are attracted by smugglers into Wimereux, a small coastal town located to the south of Calais.
A sum of £480m given by the UK was used to finance and install state-of-the-art surveillance cameras all over Wimereux according to Mayor Jean-Luc Dubaele. The mayor insisted that this technology would help identify smugglers easily and keep an eye on any strange behaviour.
With assistance from British-funded resources, the French police believe that they can now take even immediate action, which is also safe. Nevertheless, Police Commissioner Mathilde Potel expressed concern over the worrying trends this year; she mentioned increasing clashes between law enforcement and dangerous smugglers carrying crude arms.
The use of poor-quality boats by smugglers may explain why many people fail when they try to cross. For this reason, she accused the networks of risking innocent lives so that they could make money.
Louis-Xavier Thirode, a government official, admitted that it is not easy to deal with such migrants. In order to fight against smuggling, he called for continued investment. He acknowledged that these crossings were very profitable for criminal groups, too, but highlighted France’s duty to prevent unsafe sea travels at all costs.
At the same time, the UK Home Office praised itself for working closely with the French authorities to prevent a large number of illegal immigrants crossing. The head of the Small Boats Operational Command Charlie Eastaugh reiterated that the recent events call for efforts towards dismantling smuggling activities.
However, some local charities from Calais supporting desperate migrants oppose putting the blame only on such smuggling mafias, explaining that it is part of an even larger crisis where people die too many times over. In Wimereux, Mayor Jean-Luc Dubaele provided a broader perspective on the joint efforts of British and French authorities. “We can slow it down but can’t stop the crossings. For me, it’s become my life, night and day, unfortunately,” he stated, echoing the widespread French sentiment that a lasting solution requires stricter regulation of the job market in Britain. “Why do the migrants want to go to England? It’s for work. As we can see, the answer is to forbid migrants from working in England without an employment contract. If the English solve this problem, we’ll have taken a big step,” Dubaele emphasized.
