Of course the British military should be helping to protect our coastline

The Government’s proposal to extend military support to protect the UK coastline should be welcomed, not just by the Home Office but also across the country. 

One thing I have learned in almost half a century in this business is that when it comes to border control, nothing stays the same for long. Although we have always had some concerns about the maritime threat to our borders, the blatant migrant smuggling operation across the English Channel has accelerated to a point where it has become a matter of major public concern. 

The preferred policy outcome — to prevent people taking to the boats in the first place — has not worked. This is not because of any lack of effort by the UK Government, who have invested a great deal of time, money, and effort to encourage the French to stop the boats on their side of the border. It is because the French have steadfastly refused to engage in joint patrols or accept instant returns, presumably for political reasons. 

Once here, the migrants need only claim asylum to guarantee access to the UK for an indeterminate (if not indefinite period), thus encouraging more to come, fuelling international organised crime chains, and putting more lives at risk.

Some projections put the annual number of boat arrivals in excess of 60,000 this year. Given that we saw several days last year with daily numbers in excess of 1,000, this is not unreasonable. As air and ferry traffic return to pre Covid levels, we can expect more attempts to enter illegally and claim asylum on other routes. Potentially, annual asylum intake could challenge the previous record of over 100,000 per year in 2002.

The new Nationality and Borders Bill will (for the first time) distinguish those arriving from safe third countries from other asylum seekers, effectively denying the former access to the UK asylum system (and all the benefits that entails). This means looking at more radical unilateral measures for deterring people from making the hazardous journey at all. 

The UK Border Force has always worked hand in glove with other agencies, including the military. I had first-hand experience of this when managing border security for the London 2012 Olympics. Although The Border Force has maritime assets of its own, they were not designed to manage an ongoing threat of this magnitude. It does not have its own separate Border Patrol (dedicated specifically to the defence of the coastline /perimeter) as exists in other countries such as Australia or the United States. By bringing in military assets to support the Border Force, the Government is paving the way for a much more comprehensive response to protecting our coastline.

But I would not stop there. Reception, transportation, and accommodation arrangements for the current wave of boat arrivals are increasingly challenging. Military support on land would also be useful. As would help with removal to safe third countries or offshore processing centres, using military rather than commercial transportation.

Even with the might of the UK military on side, the Government will still find it hard to stop the boats. Ultimately this rests upon building relationships with source and transit countries to encourage them to accept returns for those who do not qualify to enter the UK. 

In my day, immigration officers were able to serve removal directions to return illegal entrants swiftly and efficiently whence they came. Those without passports were returned with an official letter. Nowadays, most countries refuse to accept people back without a travel document and / or some form of readmission agreement. 

Many migrants know they can avoid removal simply by refusing to comply with the documentation process. So, the full weight of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office needs to be brought in to ensure any new trade deals and / or development funding are linked to returns agreements.

The UK Government is fortunate to have some tremendous assets at its disposal. The UK Border Force and the wider Home Office are right to seek a little help from their friends in delivering their difficult mission.

Tony Smith CBE is the former director general of UK Border Force