 Guernsey Customs is liaising with immigration authorities |
Customs officers in Guernsey say they are remaining alert to ensure asylum seekers do not try to use Guernsey as a way of crossing to the UK. There is continuing concern that the closure of the Sangatte refugee camp has forced more asylum seekers to move down the French coast towards the Channel Islands.
The controversial Red Cross centre, near Calais in northern France, closed in December under a deal struck between the British and French governments because the UK Government claimed it was being used as a base for illegal immigration.
Guernsey Customs and Immigration Department said: "Staff are required to regulate and control the entry of foreign nationals to the Bailiwick."
'Greater co-operation'
Britain received more asylum seekers last year than any other industrialised country, according to the United Nations.
Despite a general decrease in the number of asylum seekers across the European Union as a whole, the UK had a 20% rise in applications, according to the statistics from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
This meant applications for asylum in Britain exceeded 110,000 for the first time.
The UNHCR said the figures showed a need for "greater co-operation" between European countries.
Guernsey Customs Deputy Chief Officer Rob Prow said his staff are well aware of potential problems and they are liaising with their counterparts in the UK, Jersey and France.
One-Minute World News 
News services
Email this to a friend 
Printable version 
