Act to end the human tide of woe

AFTER days of dithering, Sajid Javid has finally woken up to the fact that the refugee crisis is a “major incident”.

What gave it away, Home Secretary?

Was it the 40 desperate people who tried to cross the Channel on Christmas Day? The nine on Boxing Day? The eight spotted on a raft by the MS Spirit of Britain ferry?

Whatever it was, it took long enough.

The question is, “What happens now?” Mr Javid is cutting short his holiday. And it looks like he’s finally taking action, appointing a gold commander and talking about patrols being stepped up.

These moves are necessary and to be welcomed. But he must also tackle the causes.

Migration is a fact of life. There are lots of reasons people flee their homelands. Syria, for example, is a warzone and many Syrians have lost everything.

In desperation, thousands have headed for Europe. And, because gangs are exploiting their panic and fear, one of the most dangerous parts of the journey is near the end.

Organised criminals offer them a lifeline, but at an unbelievable cost: cut-price deals to allow migrants to put their children on boats.

This is not just a couple of conmen chancing their arms. These are cold, hard criminals who don’t care if their “customers” live or die.

One former coastguard officer says it is just a matter of time before there is a tragedy, and rescuers will soon be retrieving bodies rather than saving people.

Mr Javid must act before that happens. That means beefing up our patrols and security.

And it means smashing the evil networks exploiting vulnerable of people who are doing what we would all do if we lost everything – trying to find a place of safety.