Danish police officers and defense personnel are moving their efforts from the Greek island of Symi to the Italian island of Lampedusa to control the migrant flow. This change comes after a request from the EU’s coast and border agency, Frontex, as stated by the National Police in a press release.
Lampedusa, located close to North Africa, is often the first port of call for many migrants from the Middle East and African countries attempting to reach Europe via Tunisia or Libya. Since 2019, Denmark has contributed patrol boats to monitor these routes, and the Danish efforts have now shifted north to Lampedusa.
According to the National Police, the Danish contribution consists of five police officers and four personnel from the Defense. Section leader Signe Højland states that the police look forward to continuing collaboration with the Defense at the new location. She emphasizes that the reception of migrants involves health checks, registration, and handover to the Red Cross.
“The smugglers are creative and constantly find new ways. But Lampedusa is one of the hotspots that continues to receive many irregular migrants, partly due to the island’s geographical location,” says Signe Højland.
The National Police reports that last year, there were 380,000 irregular border crossings, with 40 percent occurring between North Africa and Italy or Malta. Of these crossings, 100,000 were to Lampedusa.
The Danish contribution with sailing patrol boats has been extended multiple times and is now planned to continue until the end of January 2025.