Outgoing Belgian Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt (Open VLD) undertook a working visit to the Westkust police zone as part of the Federal Government's fight against ‘transit migration’.
The minister attended an operation at the Franco-Belgian border carried out in collaboration with the French national gendarmerie. "We must continue to invest in targeted actions and cooperation," he said.
"The figures are worrying," said corps commander Nicholas Paelinck. "We are seeing an increase in the number of attempts to cross the Channel, successful crossings, victims who lose their lives when these attempts fail, and reports of phenomena linked to transit migration. We are continuing our checks at the borders, on the beach, in the dunes and on motorway slip roads."
The minister was present at an action carried out in La Panne with members of the French national gendarmerie. A total of 217 cars and seven buses were checked, while a team checked two people at La Panne station. One undocumented person was administratively detained.
With this visit, Mr Van Tigchelt also wanted to thank the police services. ‘The fight against transit migration remains a priority. I would like to thank the local authorities and the police for the hard work they do on a daily basis in collaboration with the French authorities. These efforts are also necessary to ensure the safety of migrants and remove them from the clutches of trafficking networks’.
