Hostile, shortsighted and uncreative policies on asylum and immigration prompts sea crossings

I would like to respond again to Mr Wayne Andrews (Critics missed wider picture, October 1) and the other correspondents supporting his argument. The wider issues as I see them are that most asylum seekers, apart from those in resettlement programmes, have virtually no way of reaching the UK through legitimate routes.

It is the hostile, shortsighted and utterly uncreative policies on asylum and immigration that leave us in this situation and prompt these crossings.

Thus respect and thanks to the RNLI, dedicated charities and good people who try and mitigate the danger, misery, fear and desperation of those trying to find a safe place and the opportunity for a more productive life. The UK is a country they perceive as fair and where they often have friends or family already.

Getting bogged down in the technical mandates of the Border Force and RNLI isn’t particularly helpful unless any breach of these is what interests you most, and the claim that they “have been brought in to bus as many as they can across the channel” makes it sound far less terrifying than it must be.

Mr Andrews is right that every country has immigration laws and policies, but many are inhuman, lack intelligence or rationale, leaving vulnerable people stranded and in jeopardy. If the Government really are serious about stopping trafficking then the whole situation desperately needs rethinking by those with empathy, understanding and economic creativity. Perhaps the huge sums we give the French authorities to patrol their own coastline could be put to far better use?

Please send your letters to [email protected]. Letters must be accompanied by a full name and address. Anonymous letters are never printed. We reserve the right to edit letters for any reason.