PCC Calls For Migrant Boat To Be Taken To Dover

Hampshire and Isle of Wight's Police and Crime Commissioner is calling on Border Force to intercept a small boat carrying migrants in the English Channel and take those on board to Dover.

Donna Jones says the boat is currently in the Channel, south of the central south coast, and could be heading towards Hampshire.

She is urging Border Force to transfer those on board to a UK cutter and take them to Dover rather than allow another landing in Hampshire.

In a statement, Ms Jones said:

"I am urging UK Border Force to collect the migrants in the Channel now, in the next hour, and transfer them to Dover via the water on a UK Cutter which is in the area.

"This is the assurance I was seeking 10 days ago from the Home Secretary."

It comes after around 140 migrants were brought ashore in Portsmouth on September 6 after crossing the Channel in a small boat.

The arrival was followed by large-scale protests in the city, with police resources brought in from other forces to help deal with the disorder.

Ms Jones says Hampshire is not equipped to deal with repeated migrant boat arrivals and has criticised the Government for what she describes as a lack of communication over plans for crossings arriving in the county.

She said:

"Hampshire is not prepared or set-up to process people travelling into Britain this way, and the burden on the police to deal with the arrival and potential protest activity is unsustainable."

The PCC says she wrote to the Home Secretary following the September 6 incident, asking for action to prevent Hampshire becoming an established landing site.

She added:

"Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary cannot repeatedly divert its resources to manage landings the county was never designed to receive."

There has been no confirmation in the material available that the current boat is heading specifically for the Isle of Wight.

During the September 6 incident, lifeboats from the Isle of Wight were involved in the response after the boat reached UK waters.

HM Coastguard, Border Force, Border Security Command, Hampshire Police and South Central Ambulance Service were also involved.