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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Holly Bancroft

France to deploy more riot police to tackle small boat crossings

  • The Home Office has announced that 50 additional French riot police officers will be deployed along the French coast to tackle small boat crossings.
  • New government data reveals that more than 50,000 migrant crossing attempts across the Channel have been prevented since the 2024 general election.
  • The doubling of the dedicated anti-riot unit to 100 officers is funded under a £662m UK-France security agreement running until March 2027.
  • Reinforcements aim to counter smuggling gangs who are launching dinghies from a wider area, including recent departures from Normandy.
  • Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that joint UK-French efforts are having an impact, with provisional crossings for the year down to 20,935.

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