A migrant was observed attempting to leave the United Kingdom by concealing himself in the back of a lorry at the Port of Dover ferry terminal. The individual was seen jumping from the vehicle as it was being inspected by police officers and proceeded to run towards the exit.
The incident, captured in footage from the Channel 4 documentary "Dover 24/7: Britain's Busiest Port," shows officers in a police van pursuing the man. They apprehended him near the taxi rank, pushing him against a barrier.
"We've got a prisoner," one officer stated as colleagues arrived to secure the individual. The man responded, "Why prisoner? I just want to go back to France!"
Officers Neil and Ian, who were already at the port following a separate arrest, received an urgent call about a male attempting to evade security. Described as "Asian-looking, grey hooded jacket, black jogging bottoms," the individual was spotted making his way down a buffer zone.
The officers pulled up in their van, ordering the man to stop. Upon apprehension, he reiterated his plea to return to France.
"The last I know, you're running away from someone. France say no," an officer informed him. Police were alerted that the man had been illegally stowed in the lorry and that four other individuals were believed to be in the trailer.
The migrant was placed in a police van. Officers indicated that while they had apprehended one individual, security teams were addressing the situation with the remaining people in the lorry. The apprehended man was taken into custody.
The Port of Dover Police later confirmed that the man received a "community resolution," an out-of-court order typically issued for less severe offenses.
This incident occurs amid reports that the Labour party has reportedly dropped a ban preventing migrants who arrived in the UK via small boats or illegally from obtaining British citizenship. This policy change is said to follow a legal challenge and would allow individuals granted asylum in the UK to apply for citizenship three years after being barred under previous Conservative government policies, provided they can demonstrate it was beyond their control to arrive without permission.