The United Kingdom has increased its border technology budget by one hundred million pounds as the Home Office accelerates efforts to prevent small boat crossings in the English Channel.

The expanded funding is aimed at strengthening surveillance, detection and intelligence systems to identify and disrupt smuggling networks earlier and more effectively.

Officials said the additional investment will enhance a suite of technologies, including advanced sensors, aerial and maritime surveillance, data analytics and information-sharing platforms used by border forces and partner agencies.

The funding is intended to improve real-time awareness along the Channel and to support coordinated operations with French and other European counterparts targeting organised criminal groups that facilitate dangerous crossings.

The budget increase follows a renewed operational focus on prevention, with ministers arguing that technology can play a decisive role in identifying vessels before launch, tracking movements at sea and enabling faster, safer interventions.

Home Office sources said the expanded capability would also help reduce reliance on costly reactive responses by shifting resources toward early disruption and enforcement.

Alongside the technology spend, the government has reiterated its commitment to a broader package of measures, including tighter asylum controls, returns agreements and expanded law-enforcement cooperation.

Officials stressed that the objective is to save lives by deterring perilous journeys while restoring control and confidence in the border system.

The investment underscores the scale of the challenge facing authorities as crossings continue despite enforcement efforts, and reflects a view within government that sustained technological advantage is essential to counter increasingly adaptive smuggling operations.

The Home Office said delivery of the new capabilities will begin this year, with further upgrades planned as part of a multi-year border modernisation programme.