By Peter Allen
Cutting edge British technology is to be used by the French to detect illegal migrants trying to cross the Channel.
[dailymail.co.uk] The £15million ‚people finding‘ initiative is part of an agreement reached today between Immigration Minister Phil Woolas and his French counterpart Eric Besson in the Alpine spa town of Evian.
In turn, the French have agreed to step up their ‚removal flights‘, ensuring that those not eligible to claim asylum are returned to their home countries like Afghanistan.
It follows widespread criticism aimed at both governments for allowing hundreds to hide aboard lorries and trains heading for the south coast of England.
Many are missed in northern ports including Calais because of inadequate detection technology.
People smugglers who charge up to £1000-a-head for an illegal passage use all kinds of methods to bypass checks, including instructing migrants to place plastic bags over their heads so as to negate carbon dioxide tests.
But new technology perfected by an expert unit in Dover will no longer make this possible, the British claim.
Immigration Minister Philip Woolas, left, speaks with French Immigration Minister Eric Besson during the summit, where the technology was launched
‚An extra £15million has been invested to pay for new technology as part of a hi-tech pilot in Calais,‘ said Mr Woolas.
‚This will see the latest state-of-the-art technology being used to boost searches of vehicles and goods heading for Britain.
‚The UK Border Agency will roll out the latest detection technology to ports in Boulogne, Dunkirk and Coquelles.
Mr Woolas added: ‚The French Government is determined to return more illegal migrants by stepping up removal flights.
‚The UK recognises this effort and maintains its own commitment to removing foreign nationals with no right to be in the UK.‘
A British run ‚centre of excellence in the field of search and detection technology‘ is currently operating in Dover, and will make all of its hardware available to the French, said a Home Office source.
It includes advanced carbon dioxide detectors, heart beat sensors which can detect minute movements in a vehicle, and thermal imaging cameras.
The Evian bilateral agreement follows a pledge by President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government to shut down ‚The Jungle‘ – a Calais squatter camp where some 800 migrants are currently living rough as they try to get to the UK .
The seriousness of the situation was highlighted last week when the United Nations refugee agency opened an office in Calais for the first time since 2002, when the notorious Sangatte Red Cross Centre was shut as part of an Anglo-French agreement.
It had acted as a magnet for thousands of illegal migrants heading for Britain.
The UN is trying to persuade ‚undocumented aliens‘ that they will be sent home if they are caught illegally on either side of the Channel.
Last year the French pulled out of a plan to introduce Anglo-French charter flights to repatriate illegal Afghan migrants, citing humanitarian reasons.
These flights are now expected to commence, with ’negotiations well under way‘, said a Home Office source.
Mr Woolas added: ‚We have one of the strongest borders in the world, and today’s agreement with our French counterparts has made it even more secure.‘
