UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The Institute of Race Relations says parts of the UK Border Force now operate under military command, indicating rising paramilitary policing in Europe.
As reported by The Guardian, a recent report on global law enforcement revealed the UK Border Force has come under de facto military command, highlighting a surge in “hyper-militarisation” tactics.
What did the IRR report reveal about UK border militarisation?
According to the Institute of Race Relations, the 21st century has witnessed the growth of paramilitary and politically motivated policing throughout Europe. Such enforcement methods are applied at borders, during civil disturbances, and against protestors.
The report referenced the Home Office’s 2020 request for military backing from the Ministry of Defence and establishing a secretive Channel threat commander role within the Border Force as proof of the Channel’s “hyper-militarisation.”
It highlighted MoD’s role in managing small boat crossings in the Channel has effectively placed parts of the UK Border Force under military control.
Another key point in the report, Paramilitary Policing Against the People, highlights the expanding use of “less-lethal weapons.” These weapons include Tasers, which, despite their name, can cause serious injuries. Tasers were introduced in England and Wales in 2003, Northern Ireland in 2008, and Scotland in 2018.
According to the report, 69 migrants, refugees, and racialised people have died across Europe due to the use of less-lethal weapons. Most victims were asylum seekers from sub-Saharan Africa at the Spanish-Moroccan border. It adds that these weapons are commonly used during public order enforcement.
What did the Liz Fekete report say about militarised policing and border tactics?
Liz Fekete, the director of the IRR and the report’s author, stated, “What they have begun at the border does not end at the border.”
She said,
“First, the government portrays asylum seekers arriving in small boats in an already militarised Channel as a national security threat. The plan to allow French police to push back boats in the Channel can only lead to more injuries, more deaths.”
Ms Fekete stated,
“Second, we know that plastic bullets (still used in Northern Ireland) have already been authorised for use at the Notting Hill carnival and BLM (Black Lives Matter) protests of 2020 and that, since then, BLM protests have been subjected to baton charges, horse charges and pepper spray, and that student occupations for Palestine have been violently suppressed.”
She said,
“Third, we know that discrete firearms units have been created within crime-fighting units (recall the deaths of Mark Duggan and Chris Kaba) and that Jean Charles de Menezes died as a result of the ‘shoot to kill’ approach of Operation Kratos,”
adding,
“This is why we are saying to the government today that ‘it’s time to take stock’. For this is demonstrably not policing by consent.”
What did Black Lives Matter say about police use of plastic bullets?
Kojo Kyerewaa, a national organiser for Black Lives Matter UK, stated,
“Only racism can explain the British state’s fear of Black people on the streets.”
They added,
“The Met’s 5,900 plastic bullets and 700 officers trained to fire them are not ‘public safety’ tools. They are instruments of racial terror. When we flooded the streets to denounce police brutality, the Home Office aimed those very weapons at us – weapons proven to blind, maim and kill. This is not an oversight. This is their vicious racist designs against us.”
The Met rejected claims that ethnicity affects policing strategies during protests, describing such ideas as “inaccurate and irresponsible.”
What did the Home Office say about police operational independence?
A Home Office spokesperson stated,
“Britain has a long tradition of operational independence for the police who keep our streets safe. Any use of their powers is an operational decision.”
key statistics on illegal migration in the UK
- Small Boat Crossings (2025): Over 12,748 detected arrivals by mid-May, a 30% increase compared to 2024.
- 2024 Total: 36,816 people crossed the Channel illegally, the second-highest annual record after 2022 (45,755).
- Top Nationalities (2024-2025): Afghans, Syrians, Iranians, Vietnamese, and Eritreans dominate small boat arrivals.
- Asylum Claims: Over 90% of small boat arrivals claim asylum; 108,130 applications were filed in 2024 – a record high.
- Backlog: 90,686 asylum cases are pending as of December 2024.
- Returns: Only 3% of small boat arrivals (4,995 since 2018) have been returned 10. In 2024, 8,200 failed asylum seekers were removed.
- Costs: Taxpayers spend £8 million daily on asylum accommodation (e.g., hotels)
- Deaths: At least 78 migrants died crossing the Channel in 2024.
- Methods: Most enter via visa overstays, clandestine entry (e.g., small boats), or failed asylum claims