French police have been caught on camera failing to prevent migrants from launching a small boat across the English Channel, despite deploying pepper spray in a chaotic beach confrontation.
The bungling officers were captured trying to run after groups of young men in life jackets on the beach in Gravelines, northern France, in footage that highlights the ongoing struggle to control Channel crossings.
The French authorities are initially shown speaking with the migrants as they try to usher them away from the shore. Some of the group are then physically pushed by the officers, who start menacingly holding up the white canisters containing pepper spray.
Seconds later, the camera cuts to one man dodging officers as they unsuccessfully try to douse him with the chemical irritant. The police are then forced to watch on as waves of migrants make their way onto the vessel and eventually set off across the Channel.
The incident comes as more than 35,000 people have crossed to the UK on small boats this year, but just 26 have been returned to France under a new returns agreement.
Two chartered flights have taken migrants back in the past two weeks as part of the Government’s one-in one-out deal with Paris. Labour have claimed the deal sends a clear message that arrivals could be detained and removed.
But despite this, more than 1,000 people arrived on small boats on Wednesday alone, taking the total in 2025 up to 35,476. The shocking figure means that just 0.07 per cent of this year’s arrivals have been deported back to France.
As part of the British taxpayer-funded reciprocal deal, 18 eligible people have so far come to the UK in exchange for those returned to France.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the returns programme was designed to act as a deterrent. We are sending a clear message, she stated. If you come here illegally, you face being detained and removed, so think twice before making that journey.
Crossings continue to soar despite Britain giving hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayer funding to the French since 2018 to increase patrols and border security along the northern French coast.
Smugglers have adapted to avoid law enforcement by learning local canal systems and loading boats with people inland, away from the most heavily patrolled coastal areas. They are also launching from more secluded and wider beaches which are not patrolled as regularly by French authorities.
On numerous occasions this year, French police have been observed unsuccessfully attempting to prevent small boats from setting sail. In June, officers were spotted for the first time in waist-high water using riot shields and pepper spray to disperse migrant groups.
The officers finally went into the sea, but the small boats were still left dangerously overcrowded after the officers retreated from the water. Critics have questioned whether French authorities are doing enough to stop the crossings, despite the significant financial support from the UK.
A month later, officers arrived an hour after a group of migrants waved farewell from a packed dinghy headed for the UK. Around 50 young East African men wearing life jackets were crammed onto the inflatable, which set off near Dunkirk.
The migrant taxi boat was even able to bob along in near-perfect sea conditions whilst waiting to pick up any stragglers who had been delayed reaching the launch point.
Last month, a record 125 migrants arrived on a mega-dinghy, breaking a previous record of 106 from August. The shocking arrival came just hours before Keir Starmer branded Nigel Farage’s migration plan racist.
The Prime Minister ramped up his attacks on Farage by branding his pledge to scrap indefinite leave to remain as racist and immoral during a BBC interview.
It is one thing to say we are going to remove illegal migrants, people who have no right to be here. I’m up for that, Starmer said. It is a completely different thing to say we are going to reach in to people who are lawfully here and start removing them.
The ongoing surge in Channel crossings has become a major political headache for the Labour government, which promised to smash the criminal gangs operating the smuggling networks. However, the figures show little sign of abating despite increased cooperation with French authorities.
The UK-France returns deal, negotiated earlier this year, was hailed as a breakthrough in tackling irregular migration. Under the agreement, Britain can return migrants to France who have passed through the country en route to the UK, whilst France can send back individuals with stronger ties to Britain.
However, the minuscule number of returns compared to arrivals has raised questions about the effectiveness of the arrangement. Critics argue that without significantly higher return numbers, the deterrent effect will remain negligible.
Weather conditions in the Channel have been favourable for crossings in recent months, with calm seas encouraging more attempts. Smuggling gangs charge migrants thousands of pounds for the dangerous journey, often packing boats far beyond safe capacity.
The French government has faced criticism from both British politicians and its own citizens over its handling of the migration crisis, with some arguing that insufficient resources are being deployed to coastal areas despite UK funding.
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