The taxpayer costs of policing a controversial migrant camp in East Sussex could total over £5.5million, according to reports. Around 27 men have so far been moved into the former army site, where the Home Office plans to accommodate up to 526 people as part of its bid to end asylum hotel use. The site has been confirmed to include 24/7 security, CCTV and police checks for all new arrivals – but the comprehensive measures, which could reassure locals worried about the risk to their community, might also take a sizeable chunk from the public purse.
Kay Bourne, Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex, told The Mail that the costs of supplying the required officers, technology and security at the site could total £5.5million. Ms Bourne has demanded that the Home Office foot the bill, which was reportedly drawn up by Sussex Police on the assumption that the camp will remain in use for a 12-month period.
The first group of migrants were moved into the site this week (Image: Getty)
It comes after three people were arrested following two incidents of disorder outside the former army base, which police said involved “threatening and intimidatory behavour”.
A 36-year-old man and 62-year-old woman from Crowborough and a 54-year-old man from Newhaven were detained on suspicion of an offence under the Public Order Act on Saturday morning.
Crowborough residents have taken to the town’s streets in their thousands every weekend since it emerged that the site had been handed from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to the Home Office last October.
Many have expressed concerns about safety, a lack of consultation and the effect on local children, with a large-scale demonstration also planned for Sunday, January 25, after the first group of migrants were “smuggled” into the site overnight this week.
The Crowborough Shield residents group has raised over £96,000 via crowdfunding for legal action after condemning the Home Office for a “lack of transparency” around the decision to develop the base into migrant accommodation.
Andrew Tuck, 75, who has lived in the area for 38 years, told The Express: “Personally, I think the government needs to sit up and take responsibility for what they should be doing, which is protecting the residents of this country. We should come first.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood vowed to defend any legal challenge “vigorously” during a visit to the site on Thursday.
She told reporters: “I understand the strength of feeling but I do also believe that getting out of asylum hotels is absolutely crucial for the country.
“We should have never used asylum hotels to house illegal migrants.”
