Government to pay police force up to £800,000 after small boat migrant landings in town sparked protests

The Government has agreed to pay up to £800,000 to a police force after it was forced to deal with the arrival of small boat migrants on the south coast. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary had spent hundreds of thousands of pounds after asylum seekers crossed the Channel and landed in Portsmouth and Gosport. The arrivals sparked large protests from locals, as anti-migrant activists turned up at ferry terminals around Portsmouth to demonstrate on multiple nights in September and October . Officers from the force were assaulted at some of these gatherings, and a total of 18 people were arrested. Since then the Home Office won't rule out further small boat migrant landings in Gosport or Portsmouth, saying it has contingency plans for further arrivals in Hampshire but refusing to disclose operational details. Donna Jones, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said the cost associated with policing these events was 'extraordinary' and that it was 'unfair' to expect the force to pay for it after the bill spiralled to nearly £1million in just four weeks. Ms Jones said the force had to spent an additional £803,343 to deal with the arrival of migrants and to control the demonstrators, and wrote to the Government demanding it foot the bill. Today she claimed that the Home Office had agreed to reimburse the force for the costs it faced, although the final amount it receives 'could still be subject to review and negotiation'. Police and demonstrators during an anti-migrant protest in Gosport Migrants clamber to board a taxi boat at the beach in Oye Plage near Calais in northern France last week Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Ms Jones told LBC: 'The Minister for Border Security and Asylum wrote back to the Chief Constable this week, stating that we will be compensated for the additional spending incurred.' The Home Office has not disclosed the amount it will pay, but said it had agreed a funding package to 'support the significant policing response in Portsmouth required in recent months. It has previously said there are no plans to process migrants at Fort Blockhouse in Gosport, with arrivals instead taken to Manston in Kent for checks. Gosport Borough Council has passed a motion calling for the town to be excluded from future disembarkations. Ms Jones says she has asked the Home Secretary to prevent Hampshire from becoming a regular landing location. There were three crossings in six weeks as boats crossed from Normandy three times, with migrants brought ashore in Hampshire twice. On October 4, 149 migrants arrived in Gosport aboard two RNLI lifeboats. Several people have been sentenced for offences connected to the unrest, including violent disorder and assaults on police officers. The former Haslar Immigration Removal Centre in Gosport is being prepared for reopening, with plans to expand its capacity to 600 detainees and recruitment for staff has begun. The Government advertised for seven 'detention engagement officers' at the centre, offering salaries of almost £35,000 to successful applicants. The roles, which are graded at executive officer level within the Civil Service, will involve working directly with detained migrants, providing updates on their immigration cases and monitoring their welfare. Your browser does not support iframes. Seven jobs have been advertised at Haslar Immigration Removal Centre in Gosport, Hampshire Your browser does not support iframes. Under the Home Office's proposals, the first phase of the development would create accommodation for 130 detainees, before a second phase increases capacity to 600 across three-storey accommodation blocks. The department's recruitment advert describes the jobs as an opportunity to make a difference to people being held in immigration detention. The protests began on September 6 when hundreds of demonstrators blocked roads in Portsmouth to prevent coaches carrying 140 migrants from leaving the city. Just over two weeks later, masked protesters gathered after reports that more migrants were due to arrive. Anti-migrant activist 'Danny Tommo', whose real name is Daniel Thomas, had told supporters that around 50 migrants were expected to be brought ashore. Border Force boats were subsequently diverted to Dover, while disorder in Gosport led to six arrests and three coaches waiting to collect migrants required police escorts. A Home Office spokesman said: 'A funding package has already been agreed with Hampshire Police to support the significant policing response in Portsmouth required in recent months. 'The Home Office continues to work closely with all forces on their financial position, including through the new Financial Resilience framework.' The Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire & the Isle of Wight, Ms Jones, said: 'The Home Office has confirmed that it will reimburse the policing costs associated with the recent migrant boat landings in Hampshire. 'The protests place unsustainable demands on policing. I have responsibility for Hampshire and Isle of Wight's policing budget. I have made clear that I should be involved at an early stage in discussions regarding government contingency plans to manage small boats headed for Hampshire. I am deeply concerned the Home Office is still planning for further small boat landings in Hampshire.'