Below is her harrowing account of migrants using a dodgy taxi service to make the notoriously treacherous Channel crossing. We go out into the canal. It is dark and cold and there is a thick fog that does not warn us of the surrounding beaches and ferries. Our skipper has a lifetime of experience in these waters. It’s quite dangerous, even for us. We’ve been here before. As winter sets in, the weather becomes more brutal and every year we wonder “Surely this will be their last push?” But it never is. Image: The boat comes to collect on shore First, we see the French border patrol boat on the horizon. And then the familiar silhouette of a slow-moving rubber dinghy. Is full. On board, about 50 migrants. Mostly men, but a few women and a few smaller faces crowded down. The water flows over the sides, some of the passengers dangling their feet in the cold sea. They shout and wave to us – happy and relieved to be on their way. We hear them speaking Arabic, but there isn’t much time for conversation. Their focus is to stay alive and head for the UK coastline. Maritime law dictates that only vessels or passengers in distress receive assistance from the Coast Guard on patrol. And it seems that this vessel refused help. All the French authorities can do is follow until the boat reaches British waters. It’s a moral dilemma, says our skipper Olivier. “I have friends in the police here, and they struggle with it. It’s the law, but they also want to be able to do more to stop these crossings from happening.” But there is something else more interesting in the bay. Another large inflatable boat, but with only four men. They circle and drift in the waters. At first, we’re not sure what they’re doing or even if they know how to operate their dinghy. Next, we see a new technique used here. Taxi service. As policing tactics adapt to match the determination of human traffickers, so do the methods used to avoid capture. We are used to seeing large inflatable dinghies being dragged along these beaches, with dozens of people trailing behind. Image: Migrants in the icy waters scream at those in control of the boats to wait for them Now, this boat comes to collect on shore. A quick strike that draws much less attention and can move quickly along the shoreline. These men are waiting for their passengers to arrive. Within minutes, they change direction and speed towards the next bay – a large beach outside Calais. We follow, and on the shore, we see dozens of people running in the water. Chaos ensues and there is a race to get to the boat as fast as they can to secure their place on the boat. Behind them, a row of French policemen. They chase a few migrants, but once they reach the water, that becomes their limit. Another boat is also there. Migrants jump and get wet as they run through the icy water, screaming for those in control of the boats to wait for them. It’s chaos, but the boats are starting to make their way. Read more: More than 40,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel to the UK this year We see three men falling into the sea. It is not clear if this is a deliberate push by those on board to lighten their load. The engine is struggling and they have lost their water pump. The boat goes without them. There is no time to stop now. None of the men have life jackets. They don’t move, they barely swim. We see their faces and they see us. We hear them screaming for help. Olivier knows how quickly these waters can become dangerous. He has saved lives here in the past. We head over to the men and they are already in serious condition. We pull alongside them and use everything we can to pull them into our boat. They are in shock and showing signs of severe hypothermia. Image: The men went into shock and showed signs of severe hypothermia We take them back to the port where the ambulances are waiting. It will be ok. One of the doctors asked us how many boats we saw going out this morning. “I will heal many of them before the end of the day.” The night before, around 500 migrants had been rescued from the English Channel by French authorities. Crossings here no longer operate seasonally, demand only increases supply in new and more dangerous ways.
