Border Force officials have raised concerns over the lack of resources to handle the rising number of migrants illegally entering Britain on yachts, motorboats, and trawlers. The ISU union, which represents Border Force staff, has noted an increase in migrants arriving irregularly via private vessels instead of small boats. Lucy Moreton from the ISU union warned: “What we are seeing more of now is small yachts being used to transport people.
“They can start from the Brittany coast in France and then sail into one of the small ports around the UK or get dropped off in the water. It is now more of a growing issue as the small boat route becomes more and more challenging. It’s something we have started monitoring more closely, but we simply don’t have the staff to do everything.
“The problem is, most of the ports in the UK do not have a Border Force officer working at them so it comes down to local police.”
This follows a case where a £70,000 six-berth yacht, Tacoma, was rented at a French marina by a man claiming to be Austrian, as per MailOnline. He informed the owners he intended a leisure cruise along the Brittany coast, but instead set course for Cornwall.
The owners of Tacoma, tracking it, alerted the UK Border Force who intercepted the yacht as it approached the mouth of the Helford River, near Falmouth, on April 13.
Inside the cabin, they discovered 17 Albanian migrants, including one woman, attempting to enter Britain illegally. Small boats often have their transponders switched on to avoid collisions with larger vessels, but these can always be turned off.
The fees charged by smuggling gangs for passage on a yacht are significantly higher than those for a spot in a perilous and overcrowded dinghy.
Entering the UK covertly via a yacht or other small vessel may appeal to foreign nationals with criminal records. Those who have previously had an asylum claim rejected here, or have been deported, might also want to evade detection by authorities.
Some criminal gangs have been caught by the National Crime Agency (NCA) attempting to use yachts to cross the Channel.
The NCA and French authorities have been investigating an organised crime group suspected of using pleasure boats to smuggle migrants across the Channel.
An NCA spokesman said that the “clandestine manner” of entering Britain may appeal to those with criminal pasts.
He said: “We have seen cases where organised crime groups have used larger maritime vessels, such as fishing boats and yachts, to facilitate entry for migrants.”
“Often these are used by those who may be prepared to pay more to avoid contact with law enforcement, in contrast to small boats, where migrants and their smugglers seek contact to enter the asylum system.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We will stop at nothing to dismantle vile people-smuggling gangs, which is why our new maritime directorate within Border Force is explicitly focused on general maritime security to uphold the integrity of the border.
“Through close collaboration across agencies, Border Force will have access to better intelligence, joint operational activity and better engagement with international partners.
“This will ultimately enhance our approach to dealing with irregular migration, including illegal activity involving yachts, and further help to tackle people smuggling gangs.”