'Over 12 thousand Albanians have gone to Britain in dinghies', BBC: France increases patrols in 'La Manche'

2022-12-09 10:12:17Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

'Over 12 thousand Albanians have gone to Britain in dinghies', BBC:

France says it is increasing the number of rescue boats in the English Channel to deal with the growing number of migrants trying to reach the UK. Two more ships are being deployed in what the French coast guard described as an "unprecedented" move.

It follows criticism of the French response to the incident in November 2021, in which 27 people drowned trying to reach the UK by dinghy.

More than 40,000 people have made such crossings this year – a record number. Last month, the UK agreed to increase payments to France by £8m more a year to £63m to try to stop small boat crossings.

The money will pay for increased surveillance of French beaches, while UK police officers will also be able to oversee patrols inside France. French officers patrolling the coast are thought to increase in number from around 250 to 350 over five months.

The largest number of immigrants crossing the Channel (known as La Manche in France) this year are Albanian citizens. So far this year, 12,000 Albanians have arrived in Great Britain using small boats, compared to just 50 in 2020," writes the BBC.


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