London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Sep 14, 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
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
×