Bishop of Dover calls for compassionate response to migrants crossing English Channel

The Bishop of Dover has appealed for compassion after a rise in the number of migrants trying to reach Britain's shores by boat across the English Channel. 

In the last week, a group of nine people, including three children, came ashore on a beach in Sandgate, Kent, after being spotted in a small inflatable boat.  On Christmas Day, 40 migrants claiming to be from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan were intercepted as they tried to cross the Channel from France. 

'It is crucial that we all remember that we are dealing with human beings here,' Bishop Trevor Willmott told the Guardian.

'Across the nation, we have been celebrating the season of hope and goodwill as we remember Christ's birth – let's not forget so soon that every person is precious.'

Home Secretary Sajid Javid is facing increasing pressure to stop the crossings.  Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said in the Sunday Mirror that the Government was 'too slow to act' and that the Tories needed to 'get a grip' of the situation. 

'He has still to explain exactly how the government plans to handle these mass criminal operations in British waters,' she said.

'The Home Office's flawed strategy has been to focus on deterring refugees, thinking that the issues in the Mediterranean would never reach our shores.

'While the Tories wax lyrical about control of our borders and being tough on security, they cannot seem to get a grip on criminal smugglers operating on a few hundred miles of coastline, in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.'

Immigration minister Caroline Nokes said the incidents were 'deeply concerning' and that Britain was working with the French authorities to prevent more attempts.

'Some of this is clearly facilitated by organised crime groups while other attempts appear to be opportunistic,' she said. 

'We are in close and continual contact with the French authorities and law enforcement partners including through the new UK-France Coordination and Information Centre which opened in Calais at the end of last month to tackle criminality at the border.

'Attempting to cross the Channel in this way is extremely dangerous and they are putting their lives at risk.

'People should also be in no doubt that Border Force and the Police Aux Frontieres are working together 24 hours a day to prevent attempts, protect life and prosecute offenders.

'At the same time, the UK's NCA-led Organised Immigration Taskforce is working to stop people smuggling at source.'