while on patrol with us, general tavart issued a threat of his own.france received more than 150,000 asylum claims in 2019. the uk, around 35,000. with relations strained after brexit, how far will france go to stop a small percentage of its migrants who want to leave for the uk? what has happened over the last ten years, every single time there's an issue, we say "ok, we need five more million for this, 5 million for that," but we are not actually really trying to solve the problem, which means actually working together more closely. john—paul mulot, currently working for france's centre—right presidential candidates, used to be the cross—channel envoy for france's northern region in the run—up to brexit. he spent years studying border arrangements there and talking to those on both sides. if you work together, it has to be really a joint force on the ground where in the army, at the moment, we still have, due to the bilateral treaty, we've got a french colonel running, you know, a british, you know, regiment and we've got a british, you know, comman

it's a sign, says general tavart, that the french patrols are working.rs may be moving away from calais, but the number of migrants reaching britain from northern france has more than doubled this year. geography is on the smugglers�* side — how do you police a long, snaking coastline, covered with trees, dunes, and hundreds of bunkers left over from world war ii? this is the kind of terrain that the patrols here have to police every night. the sand is so fine your boots sink into it. sometimes there isn't even the moon for light. we check one popular hiding place, but the migrants have gone. they often leave in a hurry. clothes, nappies, even lifejackets — these are the things you leave behind. as dawn approaches, general tavart gets a call — something is happened further down the coast. police have caught a group of migrants in inflatable boat. by the time they reach them, the boat is in the water. this, smugglers tell their clients, is when you're safe from the french police. but tonight, the gendarmes wade into the sea and begin to pull the boat back

as dawn approaches, general tavart gets a call. something is happened further down the coast.aught a group of migrants in inflatable boat. by the time they reach them, the boat is in the water. this, smugglers tell their clients, is when you are safe from the french police. but tonight, de gendarmes waded into the sea and begin to pull the boat back. it's packed with people. it doesn't take long for one man to realise the game is up and jump out. he helps drag the boat back to shore. everyone on board is likely to have paid between 1000 euros and 3000 euros for the passage. it is late in the season when fares are cheaper and poorer migrants tend to travel. not everyone on board seems to have a life jacket. 0ne kicks at water as he goes. the officer filming says you can hear a baby crying. seconds later, the baby crying. seconds later, the baby appears in a bobble hat to delve the cold of the channel crossing. the boat, thought to have been custom—made, is confiscated. the migrants themselves walk away, back to their camps, to try again. that night, french patrols stopped almos