A carbon dioxide detector which can alert truck drivers to illegal migrants hiding in their loads went on sale in Britain yesterday. The product is aimed at freight companies such as those using the French port of Calais where hundreds of migrants have been boarding Britain-bound lorries.
Freight companies risk having their cargo spoiled but the stakes are higher for the drivers themselves. As Breitbart London previously reported, cases of violent confrontation have arisen with migrants threatening drivers refusing them transport. Even when drivers are unaware of migrants hiding in their containers, they face potential prosecution and fines for transporting them.
According to recent figures, immigration officers in France and Britain foiled more than 8,000 attempts by migrants to enter Britain from French ports in less than a month between June 21 and July 11 – a time when French ferry strikes added to the chaos. This compared with earlier figures given by Sir Charles Montgomery, director general of the Border Force, which showed 36,000 attempts over a 10-month period to January 2015.
As the old English proverb says, necessity is the mother of invention. AFP reports a British company responding to the dilemma facing the truckers and their freight company bosses has developed a migrant detection device. The gadget created by 360 Advantage measures CO2 levels in the lorry and uses a roaming SIM to send text messages or emails to alert the driver and the freight company to any changes.
According to Matthew Perryman, business development director at 360 Advantage, the unit detects within about a tenth of a second whether any humans or animals have entered a trailer. The unit is adjustable according to cargo, so fruit and vegetables that themselves emit CO2 should not sound false alarms. After notification a driver could then alert the police and have the migrants removed with only a minimum of disruption.
Perryman told AFP the “unique” device was developed after discussions with the Freight Transport Association (FTA) about the migrant issue. Although the detection device can be used anywhere the impetus behind its design is the Calais migrant crisis, described by Perryman as “out of control”.
FTA deputy chief executive James Hookham said:
“Anything that makes it safer for drivers to do their job is to be welcomed. This sensor removes the need for them to check their own trucks – something that puts them in serious danger in Calais where there are thousands of migrants milling around.
“FTA has a checklist on its website to advise drivers what action to take when using the French port. We recommend always going through the checks and sensors, even if it takes a bit longer, to avoid hefty fines if migrants are found on board.”