Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2018 to Question 173617 on Asylum: Dunkirk, what programmes the Government is funding to improve security at the shared border in northern France.

Working closely with French partners over the last 4 years, the UK has in-vested almost €150M to enhance border security in Northern France. This work has included physical security measures at all three Juxtaposed ports of Calais, Dunkirk and Coquelles (Eurotunnel), consisting of a com-bination of high security fencing, lighting, CCTV and perimeter detection technologies. Alongside this there has been the installation of secure parking areas for HGV’s and coaches to protect them and to ensure the fluidity of the approach roads.

The Sandhurst Treaty, signed by the Prime Minister in January 2018, demonstrates the ongoing enhanced joint action by the UK and France to manage our shared border and tackle organised immigration crime. This includes a commitment from the UK to invest an additional £44.5m to pro-tect the shared border. Part of this is being spent to reinforce the security measures in and around smaller ports in northern France, including Dunkirk and Ouistreham near Caen. The Sandhurst Treaty funding has also been used to establish the Joint Information and Coordination Cen-tre (‘CCIC’), which will facilitate cooperation between law enforcement bodies on combatting illegal migration.

The UK has established the Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce which brings together officers from Border Force, the National Crime Agency, Immigration Enforcement and the Crown Prosecution Service. The Taskforce seeks to use every opportunity, whether that be in source countries, countries migrants travel through or in Europe to identify and tackle organised crime groups involved in organised immigration crime.