Mark Cockerham, director of law enforcement at Customs, said that on current assessment the risk was low, but officers remain in contact with their colleagues in France.
Last week UK Home Secretary Teresa May said that the situation in Calais, where migrants are trying to cross the border to Britain on a daily basis, could shift to other ports, like Zeebrugge in Belgium and Hook of Holland.
The UK government has invested millions of pounds into tackling the problem, including increasing the number and height of barbed-wire security fences.
Mr Cockerham said that current procedures in Jersey for dealing with asylum seekers – those seeking refugee status in another country because their homeland is no longer safe – follow UK protocols, whereby all EU member states are classified as ‘safe third countries’.
So far this year 11 foreign nationals have been denied entry into Jersey for a range of reasons, including travelling with counterfeit documents and being deemed as ‘not genuine visitors’. Mr Cockerham said that this was an average figure and had no bearing on the situation in Calais.
‘The situation in Calais is precipitated on the desire of migrants to get to the UK, and the use of any route via the Channel Islands would not only expose the migrant to further immigration controls and more chance of detection, but would also provide fewer potential onward transport links to get to the UK than are available hourly in Calais.’
Meanwhile, Karen Painter, humanitarian project manager for the Jersey branch of the British Red Cross, said that Islanders and people across Britain needed to have a better understanding of the situation in Calais. She criticised the national media for labelling everyone involved as ‘migrants’ and said that there was a huge difference between an economic migrant and an asylum seeker.
‘Economic migrants are people who want a better life but can go back to their country whenever they wish,’ she explained. ‘Asylum seekers are often people coming from countries like Afghanistan and Syria which have been affected by war.’
She added that Islanders can donate money to the charity’s disaster relief fund, which will be used to support vulnerable people like asylum seekers in Calais and the Mediterranean.
More information is available on the Red Cross website.
Jim Bergerac
They shouldn’t be there in the first place, load em on lorries and send them home.
William Barnes
funny how they are not lining up at St Malo to get to Jersey Oh yes ? forgot they would not receive any benefits in Jersey
Angela Galli
So many more worthy causes closer to home
Jon Peacock
No chance, their selecting UK for free cash because their benefit systems up the wall.
Pamela Spooner
Firstly I feel for these people, it is shameful the way that other human beings have treated their people. I would worry if they managed to get to any of the Channel Islands, we do not have the infrastructure to cope.
Adrian Le Heuze
You watch now because of this post we’ll be getting random boats washing up on our shores!! Which I hope not!
Jake Moody-Jenkins
I think a lot of people here need to understand we are talking about human beings. They deserve everything you do, so sending a van of basic supplies that we take for granted is the least we can do.
Jonathan Faux
Look out for your own before taking on the rest of the world
Nick Gosselin
Yes, send them the Polish to keep them company.
Julie le Feuvre
Concerned that these migrants will be heading to Jersey next
