New border chief to be appointed within weeks, says No 10 – The Irish News

The head of the government’s new Border Security Command will be appointed within weeks, Downing Street has said. Latest figures show 257 migrants crossed the Channel on Wednesday.

Officials stressed that the government is taking action, including increasing the resources the National Crime Agency (NCA) is devoting to the problem. The number of people making the crossing in small boats this year has now risen to almost 22,000.

The Home Office promised a “fast-track” recruitment process for the Border Force commander within days of Labour’s election victory in July, but two months later no announcement has been made.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “One of the first things the government did was to launch a recruitment campaign for the position of Border Guard Commander.

“Obviously we want to have the most qualified person for this position.

“The process has been thorough and we expect to be able to provide an update on this in the coming weeks.”

The spokesperson added: “In the meantime, we have already placed an additional 100 officers at the National Crime Agency to work with partners across Europe, in addition to the 50% increase in the number of NCA officers based at Europol.”

No 10 rejected a suggestion by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin that migrants were at risk crossing the Channel because they were often able to work without papers and were “rarely deported”.

Asked whether the UK labour market was a pull factor, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman replied: “No, and let’s be clear: the people responsible for this appalling trade are the smuggling gangs who profit from and take advantage of vulnerable people and vulnerable situations.

“And that is why this administration is so focused on dismantling their criminal operations and preventing these dangerous journeys.”

According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, five boats arrived on Wednesday, which means an average of 51 people arrived per boat.

The migrants arrived a day after a boat sank off the coast of France, killing 12 migrants, including a pregnant woman and six children.

The total number of small boat arrivals in 2024 is provisionally expected to be 21,977.

That is 3% higher than last year, when the total was 21,372, but 20% lower than in 2022, when the total was 27,409.

Over the past nine days, from August 27 to September 4, there have been 2,683 arrivals – the highest number in a nine-day period so far this year.

In all of 2023, 29,437 people arrived, a 36% drop from the record 45,774 in 2022.

More than 30 people have already died crossing the Channel this year, compared to 12 people believed to have died or gone missing in 2023, according to the French coast guard.