BBC - Violent Channel smuggling gang's French and UK network

What I don’t understand is
why, having tracked gang members down and witnessed money changing hands, they then waltz up and announce who they are. 🤔

Cue a hasty exit with silly questions being shouted out like, ‘Why won’t you talk to us?’

Am I the only one scratching my head?

My question, why are the French not manning points of entry into France. If they didn't let them in, there would be no migrants queuing up to get to the UK.

Well done to the BBC. Doing the undercover work that the Home Office should have been undertaking. Money would be better spent rather than paying the French billions for so little result. With that kind of money the French should be patrolling beach departure points 24/7 and arresting the smugglers while destroying the boats.

Oreo

What about the amateur sleuths at the Beeb?

We should thank our lucky stars that both on TV and Radio there are reporters brave enough to take risks, frankly.

There was a very good Radio 4 series a short while ago where the female reporter and a colleague traced down the routes and names and mo of some of these gangs. They passed info on to the French police but I don't know what happened after that. If these people could find out this info then so could the French police if only they chose to do so.
The latest 'deal' seems a nonsense to me and once again entails us handing over more money to the French, can't understand why they're not happy with the outcome.
Did not like the Rwanda idea but it was a deterrent that seemed to be having an effect as once Labour came in power the nos. escalated significantly.

What about the amateur sleuths at the Beeb?

If the runners are constantly arrested then the organisers don’t get the money.

Maybe they don’t care that people may drown crossing the Channel.
They aren’t thinking it through anyway, as less migrants trying to cross on small boats means less migrants going into France at all if the scheme works.

Oreo

bikergran

Primrose53 I watched the same. funny how they suddenly couldn't speak English and covered their faces and walked off rather fast!

Yes I laughed at that.
The Patrick Christy investigations in France were an eye opener as to how easy it would be for the French police acting undercover to do the same and arrest them.
The BBC investigations much the same and show all it needs is the will for our authorities to get going and act as the BBC did.

They could arrest the "runners" and the organisers (who are the ones making the big money) would still be sitting in their safe homes laughing their socks off. I don't expect they care any more for the people who do their dirty work than they care about the people they are exploiting. Amateur sleuths like Patrick Christys probably do more to hinder legitimate investigations.

Oreo

Claremont

Anyone with access to the French Press and Social Media will know that the French are absolutely furious about this deal. the general message being 'how dare they dictate to us when they have chosen to leave the EU- and why should we take back those who have chosen to get on small boats to get to UK'.

Are you sure this isn’t just your take on the situation?
In any case they will have to accept that if nothing else it saves lives lost at sea.

No, it’s true that officials in Northern France think the deal favours the UK.
www.lemonde.fr/en/immigration/article/2025/08/05/france-uk-migrant-returns-deal-takes-effect_6744088_144.html

bikergran

Primrose53 I watched the same. funny how they suddenly couldn't speak English and covered their faces and walked off rather fast!

Yes I laughed at that.
The Patrick Christy investigations in France were an eye opener as to how easy it would be for the French police acting undercover to do the same and arrest them.
The BBC investigations much the same and show all it needs is the will for our authorities to get going and act as the BBC did.

Claremont

Anyone with access to the French Press and Social Media will know that the French are absolutely furious about this deal. the general message being 'how dare they dictate to us when they have chosen to leave the EU- and why should we take back those who have chosen to get on small boats to get to UK'.

Are you sure this isn’t just your take on the situation?
In any case they will have to accept that if nothing else it saves lives lost at sea.

Primrose53 I watched the same. funny how they suddenly couldn't speak English and covered their faces and walked off rather fast!

I suspect undercover operations do not stay strictly within the law; the team that uncovered these gangs admitted to making payments to gang members, and they are also able to move more freely between different countries.

Anyone with access to the French Press and Social Media will know that the French are absolutely furious about this deal. the general message being 'how dare they dictate to us when they have chosen to leave the EU- and why should we take back those who have chosen to get on small boats to get to UK'.

Allsorts

Do wonder if relevant authorities really try. Thats what they are paid for. It is like the boats coming over, how simple to damage them before they journey across the channel but thats too easy..

The relevant authorities are under- resourced. They have had their funding slashed over the last decade or so.

It's a similar situation with illegal workers. It wouldn't be rocket science to inspect all nail bars, car washes, Deliveroo drivers etc on a regular basis and ask for paperwork, but the police and local authorities just don't have the number of staff to do it.

Allira

Good.

However, the criminal gangs always seem to be one step ahead.

That's what the French are saying, with a gallic shrug.
Like playing chess apparently.
Well, they need to sharpen their game moves over there. Dunkerque is hardly mountainous, inaccessible terrain. The people in the surrounding woods were wearing everyday trainers.

Allsorts

Do wonder if relevant authorities really try. Thats what they are paid for. It is like the boats coming over, how simple to damage them before they journey across the channel but thats too easy..

They are now puncturing boats before they can set out as much as they can. However the conditions have to be very specific: puncturing the boats has to be done so the lives are not at risk. When the news item was announced this is what we saw and was described , exactly:

A whole team would/will go in.

One or two will puncture the "boat" and the others present are to make sure that no one drowns.

This means acting very very fast indeed: the people have to be in the process of boarding the boats.

It means that the team have to be at the location at the right time, and will such a long coastline, there clearly has to be previous intelligence as to where to strike, (or a good lead of luck)

So its not that they are "doing nothing" its that becuase of these particular circumstances, they can only do the best they can.

However, in principle, it is a huge step forward Allsorts

My guess is that there are a significant number of gangs organising crossings, not necessarily linked to each other. The more investigators there are, whether undercover from journalistic sources, French, or British authorities, the better, because there is more chance of catching them if different methods are used. I just hope nobody gets killed, as the leaders are obviously ruthless.

Do wonder if relevant authorities really try. Thats what they are paid for. It is like the boats coming over, how simple to damage them before they journey across the channel but thats too easy..

Perhaps amateurs like Christys should leave it to the professionals.

In the same way those baying for blood re abuse of young women have inadvertently made things worse.

Primrose53

Patrick Christys of GB News uncovered these people smugglers a few weeks ago. He has reported everything he uncovered and nothing has been done yet as far as he knows.

youtu.be/rqFgnjxS3b0?feature=shared

I watched the GB News video about this. It's not true that nothing has been done. The GB News presenter said that the French police had broken up a camp.

All he discovered were the location of a camp and the faces of a couple of "little guys". The BBC report discovered an actual network, including a contact in the UK. It uncovered one way money is transferred, which is probably already known.

The NCA discovers more than that, including where boats are stored and the addresses of the organisers, so that arrests can be made.

This government should be given more credit, reading what you said, growstuff. this is big news.

However. I only found out because it actually appeared as "newsflash" across my Safari screen, and it rarely does that unless it's big news, so I followed it up into I player... means its been given international signfficance.

Primrose, do read the full I player news. Gb news announced the new measures, eg puncturing the boats and so on.

The BBC actually conducted the investigation, with undercover investigators travelling with the smugglers at great risk and finding out their contact networks themselves.

Allira

Good.

However, the criminal gangs always seem to be one step ahead.

They wouldn't do it if they thought they'd always get caught, but at least they're not two steps ahead and a higher risk of being caught will deter some of them.

Good.

However, the criminal gangs always seem to be one step ahead.