France’s interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Wednesday welcomed the idea of Britain sending police to help patrol the port city of Calais, where thousands of migrants have gathered in the hopes of reaching the UK, reports FRANCE 24.
French authorities have been overwhelmed in recent weeks by the estimated 2,300 migrants who have arrived in Calais and its surrounding areas, with the issue becoming a point of contention between France and Britain.
Cazeneuve’s comments were made in an interview with BBC radio, during which he was asked if he thought British police should be sent to Calais for assistance.
"It would be very useful to have more policemen here... in order to explain to all the immigrants in Calais that it's impossible to cross the Channel," he said. "We'd be very happy if it would be possible to have more cooperation concerning this point."
Cazeneuve also spoke frankly of the "hard negotiation" between the two countries over the issue, and of the many meetings with British home secretary Theresa May.
James Brokenshire, a conservative British MP, quickly ruled out the idea of Britain sending police to Calais, telling BBC radio that it was “a matter for the French”.
In a sign of rising tension over the issue, Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart appeared before a British parliamentary committee last week, saying that the border should be moved on to British territory "because it's up to you to decide the migrants you want to let in or not".
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.
Read Mediapart's coverage of the issue here.