The gangs’ careful planning to outwit police, coupled with the fact it is now very rare for anyone to get over by lorry, are other reasons for the rise in numbers trying to travel across on the water. It is impossible to tell how many have died. Former UK Border Force chief Tony Smith said the crisis is “a fire that we haven’t been able to put out” and could get even worse.
He added that migrant crossings are “lucrative business” for crime gangs. Mr Smith said: “The problem is we haven’t been able to stop them and the smuggling gangs have realised it’s not as difficult to get across the Channel as they thought it would be. “There’s a lot of people in France that really want to come over to the UK who are prepared to pay them.”
Migrants from France Part 21
