Latest news with #Gendarme
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Will the French keep slashing boats of people smugglers? Non! Starmer left ‘humiliated' after continental cops revealed that they will not routinely use tactic to stop people smugglers
SIr Keir Starmer was left 'humiliated' after French police revealed that they will not routinely slash the boats of people smugglers as they set off to cross Channel. Only two days ago, No 10 hailed footage showing French officers ripping open a dinghy in shallow waters as a 'significant moment' in the bid to smash the people-smuggling gangs. But last night a senior source working for the Gendarme unit responsible – the Compagnie de Marche – made clear it would 'by no means' be a regular tactic. The source told The Mail on Sunday: 'The slashing of boats will not become routine.' He added: 'It was a pragmatic move ultimately aimed at saving lives. We saw the boat was dangerously overcrowded and liable to sink, and so took the decision to rescue everybody on board. 'This is exactly what happened – nobody was hurt, and the very dangerous boat was confiscated. 'This was by no means a change in tactics.' Embarrassingly for the Prime Minister, it comes just days before French president Emmanuel Macron arrives in the UK for a state visit. Cops were shown slashing the dinghy with knives in their latest attempt to foil migrants and refugees from making the perilous crossing Only yesterday the PM spoke to Mr Macron and raised hopes of making 'good progress' on migration and other priorities. Last night the Tories seized on what they saw as Downing Street's discomfort. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'Only two days ago, No 10 was claiming this as a huge victory. But now they have been humiliated as the new tactic turned out to be a one-off.' He added: 'The French appear to have no intention of routinely stopping these boats despite being paid nearly half a billion pounds of British taxpayers' money. 'Illegal migration continues to flood into the UK, but Labour has lost control of our borders and has no answers.' On Friday, No 10 welcomed video footage showing a French 'gendarme' destroying an inflatable dinghy off a beach south of Boulogne-sur-Mer. The flimsy craft was packed with migrants, who were forced to abandon their crossing as it collapsed into the water. Downing Street said that it was a 'significant moment' that could have 'a major impact on shutting down the tactics these gangs use'. However, unlike regular police in France, gendarmes are military personnel known for more robust tactics than their counterparts in other law and order units. And a National Police spokesman said that regular officers would 'continue to follow strict rules that bar them from going into the sea' in case they put lives at risk. It follows police trade unionists arguing that interfering with UK-bound migrants in the English Channel could 'lead to more deaths.' A senior source at Alliance – the largest police union in the country – said: 'If there are 80 people on an overcrowded boat, including women and children, then it is extremely dangerous to try to stop them. 'People can fall in the water, while others resist arrest – the potential for disaster, including further deaths, is immense. 'Turning us into sea police in this manner is not the way forward.' It comes as more than 500 people arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel on Friday. Some 517 people came on eight boats, taking the annual total to 21,117, according to news agency PA. There have been 17 deaths in 2025 alone on the cross-Channel migration route, mainly because of flimsy dinghies overturning or deflating, often very close to the shore. Procedural changes now being considered in France will instead focus on the use of patrol boats at sea to intercept so-called 'taxi-boats'. These are the people-smuggling boats that enter the sea empty from inland waterways and attempt to pick up migrants from the beach. A French interior ministry source told The MoS: 'Preventing a taxi boat with one or two people smugglers on board from picking up scores of migrants will be much safer than approaching a boat that is already overcrowded.' Last night a Home Office source said: 'We obviously welcome any action French counterparts are able to do. We want to see an end to these dangerous channel crossing. 'These criminal gangs packing more people into boats are a total disgrace.'
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Moment migrant 'taxi boat' stops to collect crowd of waist-deep UK-bound asylum seekers off Calais - with French cops watching on and banned from intervening
This is the moment dry-footed French police officers declined to intervene as UK-bound migrants boarded 'taxi boats' off the coast of Calais. Footage shows dozens of migrants waiting waist-deep in the sea for the smuggling gangs who are tasked with ferrying them across the Channel. But in an unexpected twist, members of the Gendarme are seen helplessly standing on the sand as they watch asylum seekers board the small boats bound for England in a calm and orderly fashion. French authorities say they have been working tirelessly to halt a surge of asylum seekers from reaching Britain on small boats, but as the video shows, cops are finding it harder to intercept migrants. This is because people smugglers have been upgrading their tactics to throw-off police. Instead of inflating their boats on beaches which are closely patrolled by cops, smuggling gangs are now launching their vessels from hidden locations along the coast. They then sail close to the shore, where they pick up migrants, as if they were a taxi service. The new tactic means migrants, who now wait in the sea and several metres from the shore, are harder to reach by the Gendarme. This is because rules for police forces suggest that it is too risky for them to try to reach boats once they are already in the water, the BBC reports. The only instance in which authorities can intervene inside the water is if they are trying to rescue someone from drowning. Speaking to BBC, Colonel Olivier Alary said: 'The police will be able to do more… if the rules governing our actions at sea are changed'. His remarks come after the French government declared intention to revise those rules in the coming weeks in order to give the police more leeway. French authorities are reportedly set to introduce a new maritime doctrine from the beginning of next month which would allow police to intercept dinghies up to 300 metres from the shore. It comes after extraordinary scenes on Tuesday showed dozens of French police and coastguards looking on as men and women crammed onto an overloaded boat off Gravelines beach, near Calais. More than 50 police tried to stop as many as 200 migrants reaching the sea - and with the aid of teargas grenades stopped more than half. But those who dodged police simply waited for the so called 'taxi boat' to ferry them across the Channel while police remained under strict rules to not apprehend anyone in the sea. Rules for police forces suggest that it is too risky for them to try to reach boats once they are already in the water French authorities are reportedly set to introduce a new maritime doctrine from the beginning of next month More than 900 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats on Friday, new government figures have shown. The Home Office said 919 people made the perilous journey in 14 boats, which pushed the total of arrivals for the year to just over 16,000. This shows a 42 per cent increase year-on-year and is up 79 per cent from the same date in 2023. But Friday's total number of migrant crossings was not the highest daily number so far this year. On May 31, 1,195 people arrived into Britain via the Channel in small boats. Last year, almost 37,000 people left the northern French coastline and arrived in the UK. Keir Starmer this week was ridiculed for boasting that Britain is leading the world in tackling illegal migration, despite record numbers continuing to cross the Channel this month. The Prime Minister highlighted UK plans to slap travel bans and asset freezes on people-smuggling kingpins in talks with fellow world leaders at the G7 summit in Canada. He held one-on-one talks with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and Downing Street said afterwards that he 'raised the UK's world-leading work on people-smuggling sanctions'. Meanwhile, a Downing Street spokesman said Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron agreed during a meeting at the G7 in Canada that the Channel situation was 'deteriorating'. The pair both believe that 'migration should be a key focus' and they should 'continue to work closely with other partners to find innovative ways to drive forward progress', according to a No10 readout. This week, however, there was little sign of any deterrent in action as gangs who organise the crossings continued to outwit French police.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Carencro firefighters tackle two house fires in one night
CARENCRO, La. (KFLY) — Two residential fires occurred in Carencro, Louisiana, last night, resulting in minor injuries and heavy damage to both homes, firefighters said. According to firefighters, they were dispatched to 107 Hidden Oaks Drive around 8:53 p.m. last night, where a vehicle fire under the carport spread rapidly to the attic. Upon arrival, firefighters found flames coming through the roof. The home suffered heavy fire damage, but all occupants escaped safely, officials said. Neighboring homes, which were also threatened by the blaze, were protected by first responders. Two Carencro firefighters sustained minor burns and were treated on scene, firefighters reported. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Shortly after clearing the first fire at 11:30 p.m., Fire crews said they were dispatched to a second fire at 12:11 a.m. at 2714 Gendarme. Upon arrival, firefighters said fire was visible through the roof of a double-wide mobile home. Fire crews quickly brought the blaze under control, though half of the home was heavily damaged. According to firefighters, all occupants escaped without injury. One Lafayette firefighter was injured when part of the ceiling collapsed. He was transported to a local hospital, treated, and released. Both incidents remain under investigation. We will update as more information is released. Carencro firefighters tackle two house fires in one night NASCAR legend Michael Waltrip teams up with Austin Peay for special beer The cheapest car in America just got pricier Best Luxury Cars for 2025 Who could be the next face of DOGE? Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
