French authorities have conducted their first interception at sea under new measures aimed at preventing small boat crossings to the UK.
The operation took place on Saturday on the Aa canal in Gravelines, near the Channel coast above Calais, where French officers boarded a so-called “taxi-boat” believed to be linked to people-smuggling activities. The action follows a shift in tactics agreed in November after mounting pressure from the UK to intensify efforts against illegal migration.
A photograph by the media shows several men on an inflatable dinghy alongside a police launch, with the vessel later being towed back to the dock. The French maritime prefecture declined to provide further details, citing an ongoing judicial investigation.
The new approach was agreed at a UK summit last July between French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Until then, French police only intervened on beaches as boats were being prepared for launch, with on-water operations considered too dangerous.
Smuggling networks have increasingly relied on taxi-boats, which enter the water away from shore and move along the coast to pick up migrants who wade into the sea. French officials say this method has been highly effective, with internal documents indicating an 81 per cent success rate in 2025.
The number of migrants reaching the UK from France rose to 41,472 last year, up from 36,566 in 2024, though still below the 2022 peak. Initial concerns over safety and legal liability delayed sea interceptions, but these have now been resolved.
Under the new rules, officers may only intervene before migrants are taken on board. Police believe this condition was met in Saturday’s operation, as the inflatable was intercepted while heading towards the sea, allegedly to collect migrants.
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