Illegal migrants and people smugglers looking to land on UK shores will face enhanced enforcement action as 2 new specialist units are now active on the French beaches.
Announced under the landmark UK-France deal and deployed in time for the summer months, the Compagnie de Marche and a brand-new dedicated riot unit are now operational in Northern France to track down illegal migrants and prevent small boat crossings.
This enhanced cooperation delivers 125 specialist officers and reservists to disperse migrant groups, pursue criminal smugglers and prevent small boat launches.
Their deployment comes as international partners continue to target organised immigration crimes across Europe. This includes a recent operation in Germany that seized dozens of boats and engines that could have been used to transport more than 2,000 people to the UK illegally.
The raids were the result of an international investigation involving the UK’s National Crime Agency, the German Federal Police and led by the French National Police’s people smuggling unit – showing the success of our international cooperation in action.
It follows the Prime Minister’s work to reset international relations in order to broker deals that benefit working people in the UK, including returns deals with France, Iraq, a new treaty with Germany and tighter law enforcement co-operation across the Western Balkans.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said
Working in lockstep with our closest partners is the only way to make real progress in tackling the shared challenge of illegal migration.
These elite units are just one element of the landmark deal between our countries that is taking our collaboration to the next level.
Operations like this meant that almost half of all attempted crossings were halted by the French last month – so we’re boosting them further to continue to drive down crossings.
Backed by enhanced drone, helicopter, plane and camera surveillance systems, Compagnie de Marche officers will break up launch attempts, seize equipment and disrupt migrants before they reach the water.
The elite policing unit has public order powers that will directly address violence on French beaches and enable more dynamic patrols across the coastline.
This unit is made up of 75 officers which will be surged across the summer months when crossings are higher. Backed by intelligence and insight, they will be deployed on specific days and to areas where there are expected to be more crossing attempts.
The deal builds on action that delivers results, with specialist Compagnie de Marche crack squad linked to 20% of all small boat event preventions in 2025.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said
We are putting the pressure exactly where it needs to be – on French beaches, targeting the criminal gangs and stopping launches before they can happen.
The Compagnie de Marche has already played a significant role in preventing illegal crossings. With these officers surged across the summer months, alongside the deployment of a new specialist riot unit, we are going even further to restore order and control at our borders.
This action follows a surge in joint law enforcement operations in May which stopped almost half (40%) of all small boat crossing attempts from Northern France, building on the 44,000 small boat crossing attempts prevented since the election.
A permanent specialist French riot police unit, the Compagnie républicaine de sécurité (CRS), is preventing crossing attempts.
Made up of 50 police officers specially trained in the use of riot and crowd control tactics to maintain and restore public order, this team are better equipped to respond to hostile crowds and evolving smuggler tactics and stop illegal migrants in their tracks.
The deployment of both units forms just one part of the landmark deal signed by the Home Secretary and her French counterpart to tackle the small boat crisis.
Under the agreement, £500 million will be invested to strengthen enforcement action on beaches in Northern France, with a further £160 million available based on the effectiveness of new tactics to stop illegal migration.
The new deal will deliver a more than 40% boost to law enforcement officer numbers to crack down on small boat arrivals.
For the first time ever, the funding will be conditional and adjusted based on results. If the new tactics are not successful, it will stop after one year and be reallocated.
Just last week, UK investigators secured the first sentences for small boat pilots under the government’s Border Security Act. Mohammad Tajik, an Afghan national, and Alnour Mohamed Ali, a Sudanese national, were sentenced to 2 years and 2 years 3 months respectively at Canterbury Crown Court for endangering others during a sea crossing and entering the UK illegally.
Since the election, nearly 70,000 illegal migrants have been removed from the UK, and disruption action against people-smuggling gangs has increased by almost 50% in the last year.