French officials have made their first interception on the water as part of a new policy aimed at stopping small boats carrying illegal migrants to the UK.
A so-called taxi-boat was boarded by French officers on Saturday on the Aa canal in Gravelines, which is on the Channel coast above Calais.
This intervention follows a change of tactics agreed in November in response to growing pressure from the UK government to enhance their efforts.
The French maritime prefecture has not provided specific comments but indicated that there is an ongoing judicial investigation into the small boat. Under previously agreed frameworks, French police had primarily intervened on beaches, deeming on-water operations too risky.
However, the method used by smuggling gangs—where taxi-boats pick up migrants further offshore—led to these measures being re-evaluated. On-water interventions were officially sanctioned after a summit in July last year between President Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer.
This strategic shift appears to be a direct response to a rise in migrant crossings, where the number swelled from 36,566 in 2024 to 41,472 in 2025, though still lower than the peak of 45,774 in 2022.
The specific operation involved police targeting a suspected inflatable dinghy preparing to pick up migrants. Engagement protocols now stipulate that officers should only intervene before the taxi-boats are fully loaded, aiming to minimize risk while addressing migrant smuggling effectively.
