London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 24, 2025

Can the UK-France crackdown on Channel smugglers work?

Can the UK-France crackdown on Channel smugglers work?

French patrols often describe their mission as a game of cat-and-mouse, played against the clock, in the dark.

The northern French coastline offers a smorgasbord of hiding places for smugglers. Trees give good protection from surveillance planes, World War Two bunkers are ideal accommodation for passengers, and sand dunes and scrubland hide boats and slow patrols.

Equipment has helped. UK-funded drones, equipped with thermal-imaging cameras, have changed the game for gendarmes here, spotting people even under tree cover.

Specialist buggies built for sand dunes - another contribution from the UK - have helped units get there faster. But the last stretch to where a boat is being prepared for launch often must be covered on foot - through soft sand and thickets of thorny shrubs, sometimes chest-high.

I've seen officers emerge from the chase with long deep scratches on their bodies - the thorns having torn through both uniform and flesh.

It's not hard to hear a patrol wading through that scrub. By the time gendarmes arrive, there's often just an abandoned boat and some petrol left behind.

The smugglers know what they're doing.

There is, the UK government says, no silver bullet. But the resources ploughed into this coastline, year after year, are having some effect: 30,000 crossings attempts have been intercepted so far this year.

And this latest deal contains two key messages about what's working - operationally and politically.

Firstly, there's more investment for equipment and patrols, with the goal of doubling the proportion of crossings that are intercepted.

And secondly, there's a new agreement that France will host British officers in command centres on French soil, to share information and help direct resources.

Sources close to the negotiations also tell me that France has also offered to allow British officers to come out on patrol with French unit as observers.

And Tony Smith, former Border Force director-general, believes it's a step in the right direction.

It might reduce the flows if it works, but it's not going to stop the boats altogether.

"We haven't had very much control in the past, about exactly how the French deploy the resources we're paying for," he told me. "This new agreement means that we have now got operational and tactical liaison going on about deployments."


The UK is coming under increasing pressure to reduce migrant journeys across the Channel in small boats

The UK has lobbied for years to have police on the ground here.

When I asked the French Interior Minister last year about France's refusal of this request, he said it was an issue of sovereignty. Giving me a little smile, he added: "Sovereignty is something the British understand."

So this new concession by the French government could be read as a sign of slowly warming relations between Paris and London, after years of tension under Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

"I'm hearing that liaison with the French is much better now than it was," said Tony Smith. "Now that Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman have reached out the olive branch to the French, that seems to have paid at least some dividends."

"These observers could help [the UK] understand the difficulties we are in," said the Republican MP for Calais, Pierre Henri Dumont. "We cannot have half our police officers on the French coast. We don't have the human resources. We're talking about human personnel, not just drones and cameras."

Others here are more cynical. As one official at the Calais town hall privately suggested to me, including British police in the operation here - even as observers - makes it harder for those in the UK to continue pointing the finger of blame at France.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
×