12 hours ago
Smugglers switch tactics to avoid French police as migrant Channel crossings rise
France
08:15
FRANCE 24's reporters Claire Paccalin and Pauline Godart have filmed rare images after meeting a group of migrants whose makeshift camp near Calais had just been found and dismantled by the French police. This comes as people smugglers are adapting their tactics to continue their illegal trade. Claire tells us more in this edition of Entre Nous.
The number of migrants leaving northern France on small boats headed for the south coast of England is reaching a record-breaking high. The number is especially high at this time of year, when the weather is warmer and the sea is calmer.
French police, who receive funding from the United Kingdom, are tasked with preventing migrants from making the crossing. But people smugglers are adapting their tactics to continue their illegal trade, and despite the French police's efforts, migrants remain undeterred in their efforts to cross the Channel. Some 16,000 migrants have reached the UK from France on small boats so far this year.
