Daily Northern

Nordic News, Every Day

Menu

Danish police officers deployed to Lampedusa to assist with rising migrant influx from North Africa

Friday 12th 2024 on 06:06 in  
Denmark

The idyllic Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, with its crystal blue sea, balmy weather, and the scent of fried calamari, is a popular summer holiday spot for Italians. However, for many migrants, it is their first encounter with Europe as they brave the perilous journey across the Mediterranean from North Africa to Italy and Malta.

In response to this situation, five Danish police officers have traveled to Lampedusa to aid in controlling EU’s external border on the island. One of them is Bo Christensen, a regular officer from East Jutland Police, who is currently assisting the local police on Lampedusa.

Christensen warns that with the arrival of good weather, the number of migrants is expected to increase. The EU experienced the largest influx of irregular migrants since the migration crisis of 2015 and 2016 last year, with approximately 100,000 migrants reaching Lampedusa – accounting for more than a quarter of those entering Europe irregularly, according to Frontex, the EU’s Border and Coast Guard Agency.

The Danish team is helping Italian authorities manage the large numbers of migrants. According to Krzysztof Borowski, a spokesperson for Frontex, Lampedusa is a crucial location at Europe’s border and a hotspot where they observe the highest number of migrants landing.

In response to the situation, a team of Danish police officers have been dispatched to Lampedusa to assist the Italian authorities. Since the summer of 2019, Danish patrols have been deployed in Greece and since 2020 on the island of Symi to assist Frontex, but they have now been relocated to Lampedusa in Italy due to the large influx of migrants arriving on the holiday island.

The Danish patrol boat receives migrants crossing from Africa to Lampedusa in hopes of a better life in Europe. They then transport them to the harbor in Lampedusa, where local authorities, along with doctors, nurses, the Red Cross, and Frontex personnel, receive them.

Although the Danish officers have not yet experienced severe incidents at sea, they prepare for this possibility each time they patrol the waters around the Italian holiday island.