Migrant crisis: UK police to share command centre in Calais

In a statement ahead of the Home Secretary’s visit, the Home Office announced that both Britain and France would be contributing police resources to a joint “command and control centre” in Calais which would aim to “find and disrupt organised criminals who attempt to smuggle migrants into northern France and across the Channel.”

Led by senior British and French police commanders, the new police centre will report to both interior ministers.

Speaking at the EuroTunnel terminal, Ms May said the UK government has also begun talks with Belgium and Holland to prevent the traffickers moving to different ports as security is strengthened in Calais, and is also considering security at other French ports such as Dunkirk. “We are also looking at the security of other ports. We are very well aware of the possibility of displacement,” she told reporters.

Emphasising the “excellent levels of collaboration” between the two countries, Ms May added: “We have already taken a number of steps that have started to improve the situation here in terms of numbers of people trying to access the tunnel and get through to the UK. But the work must continue.”

However Ms May did not comment when asked by Channel 4 News whether Britain should be taking in some of the migrants in Calais.

The declaration signed by the ministers includes a new £7m British commitment to help manage migrants in Calais and process asylum seekers, as well as UK support for flights to return unsuccessful applicants to home countries.

In addition enhanced security measures around the Tunnel were announced, including increased numbers of French police and British-funded fencing, CCTV and other security equipment to protect the Tunnel entrance.

Special report - Calais migrants: a day in the life of the Jungle 

There will also be more support for Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel to deploy more security guards.

Record numbers

The migrant crisis in Europe is getting ever more severe.

Frontex, the agency responsible for managing European borders, reported that a record high of over 107,000 migrants arrived in July 2015 – a 35 per cent increase on the total arrivals in the previous month.

The issue is expected to feature when French President Francois Hollande meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks on Monday.

Speaking in Calais French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said “we are well aware that the solution for this problem will be solved at a European and international level.”

France wants to set up processing centres to speed up the asylum application process at Europe’s main entry ports and improve co-operation from transit countries, said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Thursday.

Over 1,000 migrants were being held in no-man’s land between Macedonia and Greece on Thursday as the Macedonian police struggled to cope with the increase in numbers in recent days. Many are Syrians fleeing the civil war in their country.