Critics say using maritime surveillance drones to spot migrants in the English Channel will not deter human trafficking.
The UK government has spent more than a billion pounds on surveillance technology in the past five years, including a contract worth up to £1bn on drones to spot migrants crossing the English Channel. Critics warn that using drone surveillance to deter illegal human trafficking “makes no sense from an economic perspective”.
The largest contract was won by Tekever, a Portuguese defence technology company which specialises in unmanned aircraft systems. In 2019, the company was awarded a three-year contract worth up to £1bn by the Home Office “to enhance maritime awareness”. This contract is set to end on 30 September this year.
UK using drones to spot migrants ‘makes no sense’
The number of people who crossed the English Channel in small boats tripled in 2021, reaching 28,431. The Union Borders, Immigration and Customs expects the figure to reach 60,000 this year, in part due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But experts question how useful drones are in preventing illegal migration and human trafficking. While it may be effective in detecting small boats, maritime surveillance does nothing to address the source of the issue, says Rob Anderson, principal analyst for central government at GlobalData.
“Just having surveillance drones is not going to stop small boats crossing the Channel, so it’s a technological answer to a different problem,” he says. “In terms of value for money, I’m not convinced.”
Dr Leonie Ansems de Vries, chair of the Migration Research Group at King’s College London agrees. “These are staggering amounts of money being spent on drones but at the same time, it’s also not a surprise if you look at the longer history of migration management in the UK,” she says. “The overall vision and narrative of the Home Office in recent years has been focused on keeping people out, rather than providing safe and legal routes which would be a lot cheaper and safer.”
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