𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Migrants are being coached to avoid arrest and potentially protect people smugglers, a Sunday Express investigation can reveal. Asylum seekers are being told not to stand near the engines of small boats and to stop their dinghies if British Border Force vessels approach, documents seen by this newspaper showed.

And they are being told to enable the “disappearing messages” function on popular apps such as WhatsApp, concealing possible conversations with the criminal gangs. In one chilling message, left-wing organisation Captain Support also hinted people should remain “silent” if they are involved in a fatal crossing in French waters to prevent any arrests. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called for the police to investigate the advice, which can be accessed through a QR code on an information board in the notorious migrant camp in Grande-Synthe.

It claimed: “Photographs can be taken by police aircraft, drones and officers aboard French and British vessels. Individuals near the engine can then be identified by their clothing, face, hairstyle and skin colour. If the driver cannot be distinguished from other members of the group, the risk of arrest is lower.

“When a British rescue boat approaches, anyone seen driving towards it faces a very high risk of being arrested. If the engine is stopped and the boat is not moving, the risk of being arrested is lower.”

It added: “They may use messages, photos and videos from WhatsApp and social media as evidence. You can reduce this risk by enabling the ‘disappearing messages’ feature on WhatsApp, etc. You can reduce this risk by not taking photos or videos on the boat.

“In France, arrests are generally only made after a shipwreck, when people have been injured or killed. Those arrested are the people suspected of being the drivers (for example, because other people on board the boat said who was driving).

“After a shipwreck, all survivors are usually taken to the police station and questioned. If everyone remains silent, the risk of someone being imprisoned is lower.”

The section on remaining silent was even highlighted in red text and emboldened.

Captain Support described itself as a “group of activists” which stands “in solidarity with all the people criminalised for facilitating freedom of movement and towards all people on the move”.

Border Force, immigration and police officers can confiscate and search phones and other electronic devices where they have “reasonable grounds to suspect” there is intelligence that could lead to the prosecution of people-smugglers.

By encouraging migrants to delete messages, it could deprive investigators of crucial clues to snare some of Europe’s most wanted criminals.

Labour had hoped the powers introduced by the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, which became law in December, would speed up investigations.

Mr Philp said: “Whoever is behind this ad is actively enabling brazen criminality. These illegal immigrants are breaking the law.

“Most are young men, and none of them needs to leave France for their own safety. We have seen shocking cases of small boat migrants committing murder and rape.

“Those enabling these illegal crossings are condoning these crimes and possibly committing an offence themselves.

“The police should investigate and make arrests if the law has been broken.”

Under powers introduced by the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, small boat arrivals face up to five years in prison if they refuse to be rescued in the Channel by the French authorities.

This means anyone fighting with French police on the beaches, holding children over the edge of a small boat or “rushing” vessels as they try to launch could all be prosecuted, with a maximum penalty of five years behind bars.

Home Office sources have warned Border Force officers often face “floating crime scenes”, with traumatised migrants unable to speak about the horrors of the fatal crossings.

But migrants being told to move away from the engine will spark fears that it could make prosecutions more difficult.

An Afghan migrant last week became the first person to be convicted of endangering others during a sea crossing to the UK.

Tajik Mohammad, 32, had been piloting an overcrowded dinghy across the English Channel in poor weather on 17 January.

Some of the passengers were also not wearing life jackets.

It came after a 16-year-old Afghan national was the first person to be charged with the offence in January.

The boy, who cannot be named, has denied endangering 46 people on January 5, telling a court hearing he was “forced to do so”.

Reform’s Zia Yusuf said: “Captain Support is facilitating the migrant invasion of Britain and actively helping smugglers evade justice.

“As long as the incentive exists, the crossings will continue, and groups like this will thrive. Instead of ending the pull factor, Labour is giving France hundreds of millions while the crisis spirals.

“Under a Reform government, anyone found aiding and abetting illegal entry into the UK will face prosecution.”

Border Security and Asylum Minister Alex Norris said: “Giving out advice on how to undermine the UK’s border security is a disgrace.

“Be in no doubt, we will intercept, detain and arrest the criminal people smugglers who bring illegal migrants to our shores.

“We have zero tolerance for anyone aiding or abetting small boat crossings. These criminal gangs abuse our immigration laws and recklessly put human lives at risk for profit.”