The Home Office‘s response to the surge in people arriving in small boats across the English Channel is ‘poor’ and ‘overwhelmed’, a major report by a watchdog said.
It said between September 1 and January 10 a total of 227 migrants had absconded from so-called secure hotels and were still missing.
Two of the people who had vanished were on the Warnings Index or Police National Computer, which alerts officials to those of interest to national security.
And the decrepit equipment and areas used for processing was exposed to ridicule, including a Covid-19 isolation spot housed in a rusty shipping container.
The Home Office said today it welcomed all of the recommendations for improvements and had either already put them in place or was near to competing them.
In a foreword to the report, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration David Neal said: ‘The number of small boat crossings in the Channel has reached such a level that it has been described as a crisis and the number one priority for the Home Office.
‘The volume is unprecedented, and on some days the system is clearly overwhelmed.’
He went on: ‘The Home Office’s performance in delivering an effective and efficient response to the challenge posed by the increasing volume of migrant arrivals via small boats is poor.
‘In my judgment, this arises principally from a refusal to transition from an emergency response to what has rapidly become steady state, or business as usual. This refusal permeates every aspect of the Home Office’s response.
‘Systems, processes and resourcing pathways, which months into the crisis should be routine, codified, auditable and familiar, have been delivered at ‘best effort’. This is not good enough.
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