“There is a major problem, major in terms of people who come to France and then try to come here,” said Ms. Patel.
“We use drones, we use helicopters, we use night vision goggles, you name it, we use it. The problem we have is that the amount of beach space that is monitored is vast in France and these individuals (criminal gangs) use all kinds of tactics – some secret, some manifestos.
The Interior Minister said that agencies on both sides of the Channel were “working day and night” to stop criminal gangs and stop the number of crossings.
“We arrest people and we also fire people. We use the whole arm of law enforcement, “said Ms. Patel.
In 2019, Immigration Enforcement made 418 arrests, leading to 203 convictions for a total of 437 years. Of these 259 arrests and 101 convictions, these were smugglers.
Patel said she would examine the UK immigration bail system. “We will effectively seek to change our bail laws to ensure that the pull factors of our immigration and legal system no longer exist. These will be changes we are seeking to make. This will require legislation and it will take time. “
