British-funded French police have been filmed watching as dozens of migrants sprinted across beaches to board small boats and cross the English Channel.
The shocking events took place despite a staggering £500 million investment from the British government as part of a three-year deal with France – designed to put an end to the dangerous border crossings.
The large cash injection will be used for vehicles and surveillance equipment, including drones, that will help keep the area under control.
In images shared with ITVthe latest British-funded hardware was seen in action by carefree French police officers allowing migrants to cross in front of them.
A large group of migrants – including children – were seen huddled as they crossed the beach before beginning a sprint across the sand to reach a small boat.
A large group of migrants were seen sprinting across a beach before climbing onto a small rubber boat as they prepared to head towards Britain, in front of UK-funded French police.
Some migrants were seen carrying small children, but none appeared to be wearing life jackets as they headed out to sea
British-funded French agents stood by and allowed the event to unravel before their eyes. The UK Border Force then sent a ship to pick up the migrants
The boat, packed and bound for Britain, then made a daring U-turn towards the beach where the police were present
Dressed in only hoodies and jeans, it appeared none of the passengers were wearing life jackets as they traveled to shore.
Small children were seen jumping over puddles and running into the sea in the early morning as the sun rose before the footage showed a small dinghy floating into the open water.
All the while, the French agents stood by and allowed the situation to unfold without any interference.
The boat, packed and bound for Britain, then made a daring U-turn towards the beach where the police were present.
And without hesitation, they picked up more migrants waiting expectantly on the beach, with no apparent concern for the officers ahead.
Dozens more migrants could be seen looking around before running through the icy water and climbing onto the small boat.
As the passengers boarded the dinghy it became dangerously overloaded, with one French officer estimating that a total of 100 people were on board before it left France.
The UK Border Force then sent a ship to pick up the individuals in the Channel.
Footage showed them arriving at the port of Dover, where they are currently being processed – including the processing of any asylum claims.
The shocking video raises further questions about British 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 commitment to the multi-million pound deal funded by Britain.
British Home Secretary James Cleverly said in February that the two countries would “extend” cooperation that he said had proven successful, citing figures showing a 36 percent reduction in border crossings by 2023.
But it is proving difficult to keep this promise, as more than 2,000 migrants were landed in March alone.
A key part of the strategy is the plan to send small boats to Rwanda, but legislation to implement that plan was not passed before Easter because colleagues inflicted a series of defeats on the government and ministers did not try to do so quickly possible to get through before parliament arrived. interruption.
It will now be considered by MPs when Parliament resumes on April 15, with the Commons likely to overturn the Lords’ latest changes and send it back to the Upper House.
Dozens of migrants waited for the ship to return before climbing aboard, causing the dinghy to become dangerously overcrowded
A police vehicle could be seen driving past the migrants, but no officers intervened. It comes after Britain made a staggering £500 million investment for use in vehicles and surveillance equipment as part of a three-year deal with France – which aims to put an end to border crossings.
A French officer estimated that a total of 100 people were on board before the ship left France
The latest crossings bring the provisional total of arrivals in 2024 so far to 2,006
The shocking footage raises 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 caught by police, no arrests were made and no interrogations took place.
Instead, they were led back to their camp at Dunkirk, where they were left free to attempt the perilous crossing of the Channel again.
Another boat was also stopped, not because of the intervention of the French police, but because the rubber boat sank.
All 40 people on the sinking ship had tried to launch themselves out of the boat and into the water to save their lives, but after becoming stuck 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 Channel after migrants tried to sail to Britain last month.
A small boat carrying 16 migrants was on its way from northern France to Britain when it capsized, the prefecture in France’s Nord department said at the time.
The boat, which was “not properly sized to carry that many people,” shockingly carried a total of 10 children, as well as a pregnant woman, none of whom officials said was wearing a life jacket.
The number of people making the perilous journey from France to Britain has reached record highs, with more people traveling in the first three months of 2024 than in the same period of any other year.
The previous record high for January through March was 4,548 in 2022, with 3,793 arrivals in the first quarter of last year.