CLANDESTINITY WATCH EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY
CASE FILE STOWAWAY LUGAGGE SET CASE NAME
CASE
#
003 - 7109 - 01, 02
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
CASE NUMBER
003-7109-01 FILE NAME
SIGNATURE
PERSON REPORTING
PRESUMED OWNER
PRESUMED FUNCTION
CONTEXT OF RECOVERY
OBJECT TYPE
CALAIS STOWAWAY
LUGGAGE
SHOPPING BAG
GARMENT
OTHER
LOCATION OF RECOVERY
DATE OF RECOVERY
TIME OF RECOVERY
Calais “jungle”
2.06.15
5.05 pm
The item was found in one of the migrant camps scattered around Calais and known as “the jungle”. Hidden between makeshift tents and shelters, it was noticed because of the peculiar modifications applied to the standard model of a checkered storage/shopping bag, often recalled as “china bag”or “Ghana must go bag”.
Device aimed at containing personal items, potentially modified to facilitate passage through security controls al Ferry Port (climbing on commercial vehicles, hiding from thermal imaging cameras)
LAST PERSON WHO HAS BEEN NOTICED NEAR THE AREA OF RECOVERY / ITEM
- female, middle-eastern, age 20-25, about 165 cm tall dark jacket, jeans, wool cap.
THE ITEM HAS BEEN DISCOVERED BY AN OFFICIER
YES
see a.
NO
a.ID NUMBER
048-XDNLS
b.NAME
ADDRESS
see b.
DISTRIBUTION: (ORIGINAL TO RECORDS)
X
ADMIN
INVESTIGATIONS
THIS REPORT IS CONFIDENTIAL AND FOR UFFICIAL USE ONLY
OTHER
CLANDESTINITY WATCH EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY
TECHNICAL PACKAGE 003 - 7109 - 01
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
CASE NUMBER
003-7109-01 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
OVERALL APPEARENCE OF THE ITEM
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
A
SOFT LADDER
B
HOOK
C
MIGRANT BAG
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
ITEM NAME
003-7109-01 FILE NAME
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
MARKER NUMBER
CASE NUMBER
CALAIS STOWAWAY
ITEM APPEARENCE
A
migrant bag
Large, very sturdy, rectangular bag, with a zipper and two handle grips; it’s made of woven PP and connoted by a highly recognizable chequered pattern (tartan, usually red and blue).
B
soft ladder
Handle grips from other bags of the same kind seem to have been attached to each other,obtaining a small soft ladder. The owner probably just finished assem bling it and planned on keeping the ladder attached to the body of the bag and tear it off at the moment of at tempting the lorry boardig.
C
hook
Probably removed from a strap used to fix heavy loads on lorries.
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
TECHNICAL PACKAGE
CASE NUMBER
003-7109-01 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
MEASUREMENTS
200
200
1100
200
500
260
600
250 SCALE 1:10 MEASURES EXPRESSED IN MM
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
TECHNICAL PACKAGE
CASE NUMBER
003-7109-01 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
ASSEMBLY DETAILS
EACH STEP IS ATTACHED TO THE BODY OF THE LADDER (MAIN HANDLE) WITH STITCHES
EACH STEP IS INTERNALLY REINFORCED WITH A PIECE OF CLEAR PLASTIC SHEETING
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
STORYBOARD OF USE
CASE NUMBER
003-7109-01 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
CAR FERRY
CLANDESTINITY WATCH EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY
TECHNICAL PACKAGE 003 - 7109 - 02
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM
CASE NUMBER
003-7109-02
EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
B
A
MIGRANT BAG FABRIC
OVERALL APPEARENCE OF THE ITEM
OVER SHOULDER STRAP
FOLDING FARADAY CAGE
C
D
(FARADAY) HANDLES
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
ITEM NAME
003-7109-02 FILE NAME
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
MARKER NUMBER
CASE NUMBER
CALAIS STOWAWAY
ITEM APPEARENCE
A
migrant bag
see previous item. Fabric from other bags of the same kind has been used to assemble a different item, with a pecu liar circular shape.
B
over shoulder strap
Handle grips from the same chequered bag have been used to assemble a strap that allows to wear the bag on the back.
C
folding faraday cage
a series of thermal blankets has been joined together and mounted on a light frame to create what appears to be a folding cylinder. The properties of the material used suggest the item was de signed to shield detection from infra red scanners used by border control se curity.
D
(faraday) handles
Handle grips from the same chequered bag have been attached to the faraday cage to facilitate the lifting of the shield ing device.
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
TECHNICAL PACKAGE
CASE NUMBER
003-7109-02 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
TECHNICAL PACKAGE
CASE NUMBER
003-7109-02 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
1700
MEASUREMENTS
600
SCALE 1:10 MEASURES EXPRESSED IN MM
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
TECHNICAL PACKAGE STORYBOARD OF USE
CAR FERRY
THERMAL SCANNING CONTROLS
HERE
CASE NUMBER
003-7109-02 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
CLANDESTINITY WATCH EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY
FIELD RESEARCH
CALAIS, FRANCE
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
the “Jungle”
003-7109-02 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
FIELD RESEARCH
ITEM NAME
CASE NUMBER
DESCRIPTION
Makeshift camps scattered across thee town of Calais, known as "jungles". Exposed to the cold and weather, with no sanitation and running water, these are the areas occupied by illegal migrants waiting for a good occasion to jump on a truck driving to the UK. Dismantled by local authorities and rebuilt, it currently hosts about 1000 people.
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
Calais
003-7109-02 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
FIELD RESEARCH
ITEM NAME
CASE NUMBER
DESCRIPTION
French town of no more that 120.000 inhabitants, due to its position it is and has always been a major centre for transport and trading with England. Calais overlooks the Strait of Dover, the narrowest point in the English Channel, which is only 34 km (21 mi) wide here, and is the closest French town to England. Calais is currently home to around 1,000 illegal migrants, mostly looking to enter the UK by boarding lorries headed for the UK through the town’s port.
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
migrant bag
003-7109-02 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
FIELD RESEARCH
ITEM NAME
CASE NUMBER
DESCRIPTION
Large, very sturdy, rectangular, with a zipper and two handle grips; it’s made of woven PP and connoted by a highly recognizable chickened pattern (tartan, usually red and blue). A mass-produced item that can be found all over the world at minimum cost, it has become the symbol of migration. It is referred to with many different names, such as “Ghana must go" bag in Nigeria; ”Turkish suitcase” in Germany; “Chinatown tote" in the US; "Guyanese Samsonite" in Guyana.
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
lorries border controls
003-7109-02 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
FIELD RESEARCH
ITEM NAME
CASE NUMBER
DESCRIPTION
Lorries leaving Calais to cross the channel undergo a series of controls aimed at securing the absence of people together with the goods. Despite all the measures currently in place, many still succeed to reach the UK. The detection systems can: - Use infrared scanners to detect the thermal image of the inside of a truck - use sniffer dogs to detect human presence - CO2 detectors to reveal human breath within a confined space Migrants that are caught can’t be arrested nor deported according to French laws. They are instead released, ready to make one more attempt.
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migrants stowaway techniques
003-7109-02 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
FIELD RESEARCH
ITEM NAMED
CASE NUMBER
ESCRIPTION
Migrants have developed different techniques aimed at successfully hiding on / under / inside lorries. The most practiced attempts include: - running behind a vehicle, opening its back door and climbing inside the trailer - crawling under a truck and seat on the underside of the trailer (rear axle) - climbing on the top of the vehicle and, if covered by a tarpaulin, cutting it to sneak inside - covering the head with a plastic bag to prevent breath detectors from revealing human presence - covering the whole body with a thick blanket / space blanket (mylar) / plastic sheet to reduce / cancel ones’ thermal image
SUSPICIOUS UNATTENDED ITEM EU CLANDESTINITY WATCH UE DIVISION - CALAIS OFFICE
space blanket
003-7109-02 FILE NAME
CALAIS STOWAWAY
FIELD RESEARCH
ITEM NAME
CASE NUMBER
DESCRIPTION
Also known as emergency blanket, thermal blanket or weather blanket) is an especially low-weight, low-bulk blanket made of Mylar, a heat-reflective thin plastic sheeting. Their design reduces the heat loss in a person's body. Usually included in first aid kits and camping equipment, it is an item commonly distributed by Navy patrols to migrants rescued from sinking boats in the Mediterranean or by ONGs to illegal aliens living in the streets / sleeping rough. As Lieutenant Scott Murphy of the 172nd Infantry told the BBC in 2011, Taliban insurgents conducting attacks on Fortress Margha, a U.S. base near the Afghan-Pakistan border, routinely eluded Apache helicopters by hiding their heat signatures underneath these space blankets. Anonymous sources and even YouTube tutorial videos can be found on the internet explaining how to use a thermal blanket as a shield from infra red scanning used by drones and other security monitoring systems.