Yahoo Finance UK 'Exposed' To Terrorists Arriving By Boat
The rescue of 18 migrants from a boat in the Channel shows how exposed Britain is to traffickers using small ports to bypass border staff, it has been claimed.
Campaigners say that with just three dedicated patrol boats operating in UK waters it is just a matter of time before terrorists enter Britain by sea.
People living on the south coast of England say the inflatable craft intercepted at Dymchurch, Kent, is just one of many suspected to have brought migrants to UK shores.
Two British men have been charged with immigration offences after the boat with 18 Albanians on board was rescued.
Now there are calls for more to be done to stop traffickers using the Channel to smuggle people into Britain.
Dorset's Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill told Sky News: "The French have 40 cutters patrolling their seas and we have three.
"It's an absolute scandal. We've lost our aerial surveillance. We don't know who's coming into this country.
"We're really exposed and before we have a major terrorist attack, let's wake up and start reinvesting in our port security."
Chris Parry, a former Rear Admiral who was chair of the UK's Marine Management Organisation, added: "We have to have a systematic approach.
"I'm not sure the Border Agency has a strategy for this. This problem has been knocking on the door for some time and now the door is open."
He said the UK has adequate "surveillance assets" but until the armed forces and the various agencies involved work together, the problem is going to get worse.
He added: "If we think that migrants are slipping across the Channel, there are quite a lot of others ... and possibly terrorists that are going to do the same."
The Government is introducing tough new powers for the UK Border Force which it says will help tackle the problem.
From today, immigration officers will be able to stop, board, divert and detain vessels and arrest anyone they suspect has broken immigration laws.
New patrol vessels will also be deployed to try to stop people from smuggling weapons, drugs and migrants into the UK.
And more resources will be available over the summer with new maritime coordination hubs in Cornwall, the Thames Estuary and the Humber.
But some say the new powers will not be enough and the sea route can only be shut off with more resources.
Lucy Moreton, general secretary of the Immigration Services Union, said: "Anecdotally members have been reporting for 18 months that these types of landings are increasing.
"Unless there are the resources to maintain 100% vigilance 100% of the time ... then there are going to be vulnerabilities.
"Like all the civil services, resources (at Border Force) are inevitably scarce. They want to do more ... The powers are much welcome but there are a finite number of staff to enforce them."
When the new powers were announced last week, Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said: "Our investments and improvements over the past six years have left us with one of the most secure borders in the world. But we know we must go further and continue to adapt and react to the challenges we face.
"That's why we will be establishing a series of operational hubs, procuring additional boats and introducing new powers to make the UK's coastline even more secure from criminals looking to smuggle guns and drugs or facilitate illegal entry into the country."
