OFFICERS from the UK’s Borders Force have started jointly patrolling French beaches with local personnel in the latest bid to halt migrants crossing the English Channel.

The first such operations took place just before Christmas, after months of negotiations between UK and French officials, it has emerged.

The aim is for UK officers to acquire intelligence on people-smuggling activity, tactics and migrant movements more quickly.

However they are embedded in the French patrols as “observers” only, and so have no rights to exercise powers such as arresting someone for a criminal act.

The development emerged after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed a record 45,756 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in 2022.

The last crossings of the year took place on Christmas Day when 90 people made the journey from France in two boats.

The provisional total for 2022 is a record and is 60 per cent up from 28,526 in 2021, although it is lower than the 60,000 Home Office officials previously estimated could make the journey.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Our work with the French is vital to tackling the unacceptable rise in dangerous Channel crossings and we are committed to building on our close co-operation to date.

“The new agreement will significantly increase the number of French gendarmes patrolling the beaches in northern France and ensure UK and French officers are working hand in hand to stop people smugglers.”

The issue has become a key priority for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as the Tories have repeatedly promised to keep the migrant numbers down and failed. 

He has promised to bring in legislation in 2023 to make it “unambiguously clear that if you enter the UK illegally, you should not be able to remain here”.

A series of attempts to get a grip on the migrant crisis last year coincided with a tumultuous period which saw three prime ministers and three home secretaries.

Suella Braverman said it was her “dream” to see the Government’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda succeed after she was appointed Home Secretary – a policy which High Court judges ruled is lawful but has so far been stalled by legal action.

Since the Rwanda deal was signed in April by her predecessor Priti Patel, 40,460 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel.

The number of migrants crossing the Channel has steadily increased since 299 people were detected in 2018. There were 1,843 crossings recorded in 2019 and 8,466 in 2020, according to the Home Office.

August last year was the highest month on record for crossings when 8,631 people arrived in the UK. August 22 saw a record 1,295 migrants crossing in a single day on 27 boats.

The number of arrivals began to fall towards the end of 2022, which could reflect seasonal changes as a result of the weather.

In December 1,745 people made the journey – slightly fewer than the 1,770 recorded in the last month of 2021.

The MoD said its data is taken from “live operational systems” and is subject to change, “including reduction”.

A Government spokesperson said: “The global migration crisis is causing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system.

“Nobody should put their lives at risk by taking dangerous and illegal journeys. We will go further to tackle the gangs driving this, using every tool at our disposal to deter illegal migration and disrupt the business model of people smugglers.”