Near the tiny village of Behramkale, refugees from Syria leave the Turkish coast and cross the Aegean Sea, heading for the Greek island of Lesbos. Spending just a few hours on the launch beaches is enough to see the departures are constant. So are the patrols.

Our correspondent Bora Bayraktar went along on one, reporting that the refugee boats will speed for Greek territorial waters while the Turkish Coast Guard tries to intercept them, in an area around eight kilometres wide and 100 kilometres long.

Smugglers bring the refugees to rock-ringed beaches where they can spend days waiting. Deflated boats and life buoys are reminders of failed attempts. The refuse they leave behind angers local residents, who complain that tourists have stopped coming.

One resident told us: “It has been going on for three months. Every day, 10 to 15 boats set off. I suppose it might stop when the weather gets worse.”

Stopping the refugees requires great care to avoid harm. If a vessel is swamped or