London [UK], January 3: British Border Force officers have begun patrolling French beaches in co-operation with local personnel for the first time in a bid to halt the flow of migrants crossing the English Channel, according to reports.
The first joint patrol took place just before Christmas after months of negotiations between UK and French officials, the Telegraph reported.
The co-operative effort aims to grant UK officers greater real-time intelligence of people-smuggling activity, tactics and migrant movements.
However the UK officers embedded in the French patrols are "observers" only, meaning they will have no rights to exercise powers such as arresting someone for a criminal act.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed a record 45,756 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in 2022.
The last crossings of the year took place on Christmas Day when 90 people made the journey from France in two boats.
The provisional annual total for 2022 is a record and is 60% up from 28,526 in 2021, but it is lower than the 60,000 that Home Office officials previously estimated could make the journey.
Over the last 12 months, politicians have made a series of attempts to get a grip on the migrant crisis amid a tumultuous period which saw three prime ministers and three home secretaries.
SuellaBraverman told of her "dream" of seeing the Government's plan to send migrants to Rwanda succeed after she was appointed Home Secretary - a policy which High Court judges ruled is lawful but has so far been stalled by legal action.
Since the deal was signed in April by her predecessor Priti Patel, 40,460 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel.
Source: Qatar Tribune
