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Dorset is the “wrong place” to house asylum seekers on water barges, local police and crime commissioners warned, with the government seeking “additional resources” to fund the latest immigration plans. urged to provide
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said: I He wrote to Interior Secretary Suera Braverman, expressing a “reservation” to the plan.
Ms Braverman confirmed yesterday that about 500 single male asylum seekers will be housed at the facility. bivy stockholm Barge “in the coming months” as part of a government effort to end the use of expensive hotels to house migrants.
The Home Office said the floating barges at the port of Portland will be used “to alleviate unsustainable pressure on the UK asylum system and reduce costs for taxpayers caused by a significant increase in crossings”. .
Operated by Liverpool-based firm Bivy Marine, the ship was being used by the Netherlands to house around 500 asylum seekers in the early 2000s when it was criticized as an “oppressive environment”.
Braverman said yesterday that the barge will be refurbished to provide “functional accommodation, medical care, catering facilities and 24/7 security” for about 500 migrants scheduled to board the barge later this year. Told.
However, Sidwick said he had expressed serious concern to the Home Secretary about the lack of local resources to deal with the influx of migrants.
“We have some clarity on our plans for overnight ships in Portland, but we still have reservations,” he said. I.
“Responsibility for the necessary policing inevitably rests with the Dorset Police. Dorset remains the second underfunded force in the country. There has been a significant increase in the summer, with more than a million people arriving in Dorset. but no additional funding.
“This plan could lead to even more significant increases in demand at a time when the military is already under great pressure.”
Mr Sidwick said taxpayer money for local police “should be used for Dorset police rather than for an unplanned national effort”, adding that the government’s new major asylum program should be overseen. said it would require “additional resources”.
Local police and crime commissioners also expressed concern about the potential security implications of allowing 500 single male immigrants into rural communities.
Asylum seekers living on three-story barges will be allowed into the local community, but it is understood that they will need to board a bus to exit the highly secure Portland Harbor.
Sidwick said he asked Braverman for “reassurance” that he would ensure asylum seekers were able to get on board. bivy stockholm You will be subject to rigorous scrutiny.
He cited the recent killing of Thomas Roberts, who was murdered in Dorset last year by asylum seeker Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai while on the run from two separate murder charges abroad.
“I think Portland is the wrong place for this initiative, but it’s certainly being planned at the wrong time without additional resources,” he said. I‘I put the people of Dorset and their needs first and make it clear that they must not be compromised.’
It comes after local Conservative MP Richard Drax said I He was considering filing a legal challenge against the barge plan after the Secretary of the Interior chose his constituency “without consultation.”
Drax said Braverman called him “out of the blue” last week to inform him of the plans, and said he didn’t sympathize with concerns about the influx of migrants to the seaside town.
“Here’s the message that was delivered: It’s coming. We have no choice,” he said. “As far as I know, negotiations with private port companies have been going on for some time.
Another Tory official, who requested anonymity, said: I The Home Secretary said he had “brought them into the dark” about plans to admit asylum seekers into his constituencies, and that he had received clearer explanations from his predecessor, Priti Patel.
One Conservative MEP said, “Pretty was much more helpful in this matter than Suela, who seemed to have no attention to detail.”
Dorset’s local Portland mayor, Peter Roper, also claimed he was not adequately consulted. bivy stockholm The plan, and the plan, he said, was like “a housing complex was immediately thrown at them.”
I A government contractor working on the scheme revealed yesterday that it had broken ranks, urging the Home Office to reconsider plans to house asylum seekers on barges in Dorset.
Migrant Help, which has contracts with the government to help people through the asylum system, said it had “strongly urged” ministers to scrap the plan.
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Edward Lee said: I The government’s plan to house between 1,500 and 2,000 asylum seekers at Scampton Air Force Base in his Lincolnshire constituency was announced before “some consultations” with local officials.
he said I He said he was particularly concerned that local rural communities would be targeted by anti-immigrant protesters if there was no special police activity near former military bases.
“There are already far-right groups on the prowl in our constituencies. They recently infiltrated a base. They post hate propaganda on social media sites. ‘ he said.
I to understand The Home Office now has Simon Ridley, second permanent secretary to the Department of Upgrading, Housing and Communities, a mid-level official to lead engagement with local politicians, including the Council.
The Home Office said:
“The government recognizes that using alternative sites and vessels involves a difficult decision, but we are working to reduce the use of expensive hotels as the sites provide much-needed accommodation. Urgent action is required.”