CALAIS, France – French police officers waded into shallow waters off a beach south of Boulogne on Friday and used knives to slash an inflatable boat packed with migrants attempting to cross the English Channel to Britain. The dramatic intervention, captured on BBC footage, shows officers puncturing the vessel as women and children screamed in distress, marking a significant escalation in enforcement tactics against illegal crossings.
The incident occurred as France and Britain prepare for a summit next week where both nations are expected to unveil new measures allowing French authorities to intercept migrant boats up to 300 meters from shore. Currently, French law prohibits police from interfering with boats more than 10 feet from the coast unless lives are in immediate danger.
“No government has been able to get this level of cooperation with the French. That is important,” said a Downing Street spokesperson, describing the change as a “significant moment” that could have “a major impact” on smuggling gangs.
The Prime Minister’s office attributed the breakthrough to improved relations between London and Paris following years of post-Brexit tensions. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the new approach “different” and “welcome,” emphasizing it was part of wider plans to stop migrants before they reach British waters.
Dramatic Beach Confrontation Captured on Film
Footage from the scene showed French gendarmes removing their utility belts before rushing into the water with knives as a group of approximately 80 migrants attempted to board an inflatable dinghy. The boat, already dangerously overloaded with people wearing orange life jackets, began rapidly deflating after officers punctured it.
Let’s go in,” one officer was heard saying before the intervention, according to BBC reporters at the scene. Children could be seen crying as passengers scrambled back to shore amid furious screams of protest from those attempting the crossing.
All migrants aboard the vessel made it safely back to the beach, though the incident has sparked immediate controversy. The deflated boat was subsequently dragged onto dry land by police as migrants collected their belongings and headed inland.
Child Welfare Groups Express Alarm
The forceful tactics have drawn sharp criticism from refugee advocacy organizations, with several groups accusing French police of endangering children and violating international law. Kate O’Neill, advocacy coordinator at Project Play, condemned the actions as “dangerous” and illegal.
“This is not a new tactic… it’s something that has been happening for a long time in Calais and surrounding areas,” O’Neill told reporters. The events taking place in the BBC coverage are not only upsetting to watch, but show clear evidence of police officers endangering a child.
O’Neill warned that children are “often in the middle of the boats” during such interventions, creating potentially fatal risks. She emphasized that intercepting boats in shallow water remains illegal under current maritime law and violates obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“This footage highlights the danger involved in intercepting and slashing boats in the water, and we implore decision makers to consider the potentially fatal consequences,” she added.
Record Numbers Drive Policy Shift
The escalation in enforcement comes amid record-breaking numbers of Channel crossings in 2025. Nearly 20,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain via small boats so far this year, representing a 50% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
French and British authorities attribute the spike to unusually favorable weather conditions and new “taxi boat” tactics employed by smuggling gangs. These vessels remain in the water, collecting migrants from various points along the coast without touching land, thereby evading current legal restrictions on police intervention.
Criminal smuggler gangs are running an appalling and dangerous trade in people – undermining UK and French border security, causing huge damage and putting lives at risk,” Cooper stated during a recent visit to northern France, the first by a British Home Secretary since 2020.
Police Union Skepticism
Despite government enthusiasm, French law enforcement officials express doubts about implementing the proposed changes. Julien Soir, a police union representative in Lille, dismissed the plans as unworkable.
“I just don’t see how this could ever be implemented. Getting it up and running is simply impossible,” Soir said, citing inadequate equipment and training for seaborne operations across 112 miles of coastline.
Police officers also fear personal legal liability if migrants die or are injured during interventions, as well as the risk of drowning while wearing heavy equipment in the water. The concerns highlight practical challenges facing the implementation of any new enforcement regime.
Rising Death Toll Amid Enforcement Crackdown
The intensified enforcement efforts coincide with a dramatic increase in migrant deaths. According to French authorities, 73 people died attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, marking the deadliest year on record and surpassing all previous years combined.
Angele Vettorello, a coordinator at the Utopia 56 charity in Calais, warned that the proposed measures would only increase dangers for those attempting the crossing. “It will lead to even more deaths… more distress,” she predicted.
The average number of people per boat has increased from 13 in 2020 to 53 in 2024, with vessels frequently overloaded beyond capacity. This overcrowding, combined with more aggressive enforcement tactics, has created increasingly perilous conditions for migrants.
Political Pressure Mounts on Both Sides
The migration crisis has become a central political issue in both countries. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces criticism from right-wing opponents who remind him of his pledge to “smash” trafficking gangs, while French President Emmanuel Macron confronts pressure from Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has overtaken Starmer’s Labour Party in recent polls, proposing to use the Navy to intercept vessels and return them to France. Meanwhile, French lawmakers have blamed Brexit for complicating returns agreements that previously existed under EU frameworks.
Defense Secretary John Healey described scenes of French police watching migrants board boats as “shocking,” emphasizing the need for new rules allowing intervention in shallow waters. We’ve got the agreement that they will change the way they work,” he told Sky News.
Summit to Formalize New Approach
The France-UK summit scheduled for July 8 is expected to formalize the new enforcement measures, including deployment of six new patrol boats capable of both rescue operations and interceptions. President Macron will travel to London for a state visit, meeting with British officials to finalize details.
A French interior ministry source confirmed awareness of “high stakes involved in interventions at sea” and the need to adapt current doctrine. The source indicated France wants to change the legal framework to allow operations in shallow waters while “respecting the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Under existing agreements, Britain provides €541 million to France between 2023 and 2026 for border enforcement, with France making an unspecified “substantial and continuing” contribution. Officials remain pessimistic about reducing crossing numbers this year, with measures not expected to show results until 2026.
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