Since 1 May, no transmigrants, people eager to get to the UK in small boats, have been sighted off the Flemish coast and there have been no further police interventions. The arrest earlier of four people in Germany is believed to have contributed to a halt in the supply of nautical equipment such as inflatable boats, life jackets and GPS trackers Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (Flemish Christian democrat CD&V) told the Belgian Parliament's Home Affairs Select Committee. Stopping such equipment from reaching the Flemish coast has clearly eased the pressure.
Home Minister Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal MR) presented a long list of all the equipment that has been seized: vehicles, life jackets, inflatable boats, GPS trackers, outboard motors, clothing and mobile phones.
The federal judicial police are currently involved in around 30 investigations into human traffickers. More than 50 people have already been arrested in connection with these cases. There is also international cooperation in this area.
Greatr international cooperation on the way
On the instructions of an examining magistrate in Bruges (West Flanders), four people were arrested in Germany at the end of March. Boats, engines, life jackets, cash and weapons were found. This is a prime example of cooperation between the judicial police and authorities in Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
According to Minister Quintin, there is close cooperation with the French police services and the establishment of a ‘Calais Group’ is underway. This would bring together all the countries around the North Sea. Not only France, the United Kingdom and Belgium, but also the Netherlands and Denmark.
No Belgian begging bowl for UK cash
Coastal police districts are asking the government to seek financial assistance from across the Channel. France recently signed a new agreement with the UK worth over 700 million euros "to stop the small boats".
Under the previous Belian government, coastal police districts received over 2 million euros from the United Kingdom to stop migrants embarking on a crossing. They used this money mainly to invest in better infrastructure, such as high-performance cameras, drones and patrol vehicles.
Minister Quintin has no intention of getting out his begging bowl: “I am not going to beg the UK. Belgium must safeguard its independence and the rule of law.” He reiterates twice that “money is not the problem here, nor is it a panacea. If British financial support were to solve the problem, it would already have been solved in France.”
Other government parties are less reluctant to seek UK financial assistance.