OUTRAGE: French police stand back and WATCH as migrant families with tiny children pack onto death boats bound for Britain

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Six dinghies launched from Gravelines beach in first crossings for a week as gendarmes do NOTHING despite £500million of British taxpayers’ money

French police stood back and watched as entire families packed themselves into an overcrowded small boat heading across the Channel to the UK this morning.

It is thought six migrant boats left France in the first attempt to cross the English Channel in days on Saturday.

A group of men and women, which included multiple small children, was seen boarding a dinghy at a beach in Gravelines, which lies between Calais and Dunkirk.

French farce continues

Shocking scenes unfolded on the beach at Gravelines as French authorities were pictured simply escorting the migrants to their boats rather than stopping them – despite Britain pumping £500million into French border security.

The brazen launches come after a week-long pause in crossings due to poor weather conditions, with smuggling gangs clearly capitalising on Saturday’s calmer seas and sunny weather forecast to hit 27C in some areas.

With 2025 already on course to set a new record for Channel crossings, more than 13,000 people have arrived so far – up a staggering 30% on the number recorded at this point last year.

Children put at risk

Among the desperate souls packing onto the dangerously overloaded dinghies were multiple small children, highlighting the callous disregard smuggling gangs have for human life.

The sight of families with young children being allowed to embark on the perilous 21-mile journey across the world’s busiest shipping lane has sparked fresh outrage about French authorities’ approach to policing their beaches.

Previous investigations have revealed French police often stand aside once migrants are in the water, citing international maritime law and the risk of causing drownings if they intervene.

£500million betrayal

The latest launches represent a devastating blow to British taxpayers who have funded French policing efforts to the tune of £500million as part of a three-year agreement supposedly designed to stop these crossings.

The money was meant to be used on vehicles, surveillance equipment including drones, and additional officers to patrol the 155-mile French coastline.

Yet evidence continues to mount that French police are either unable or unwilling to prevent launches, with officers often outnumbered and citing safety concerns about confronting increasingly aggressive smuggling gangs.

‘Taxi boat’ tactics

Smugglers have developed sophisticated new tactics to evade what limited enforcement exists, including the use of ‘taxi boats’ that arrive by sea to pick up migrants who have waded into the water.

ITV News investigations have captured French police watching as more than 50 migrants boarded dinghies directly in front of officers, with boats performing audacious U-turns to collect additional passengers while police looked on.

One boat filmed by ITV became dangerously overloaded with an estimated 100 people onboard – yet French officers did nothing to intervene.

Record year looming

The six boats launching on Saturday represent just the latest chapter in what threatens to become the worst year on record for Channel crossings.

The 10,000 mark of illegal migrants crossing the Channel was reached before the end of April – more than a month earlier than in 2024.

At current rates, 2025 could see crossings reach the Home Office’s nightmare scenario of 85,000 arrivals – roughly equivalent to the total arrivals by small boat from 2018 to the end of 2022 combined.

Starmer’s empty promises

Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to “smash the gangs” appears increasingly hollow as the boats continue to arrive in ever-greater numbers since Labour scrapped the Rwanda deterrent on day one in office.

Despite the Prime Minister’s tough talk about targeting criminal smuggling networks with “counter-terror style powers”, the reality on French beaches tells a very different story.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has previously blamed the surge on smuggling gangs taking advantage of a higher number of calm weather days – but critics point out this was entirely predictable.

French policy under fire

The French approach of non-intervention once boats are in the water has come under intense scrutiny, with critics arguing it effectively gives smugglers a free pass to operate.

“French policy is to intervene only if passengers require rescue,” according to analysis by The Washington Post, which noted that the French coast guard will sometimes even accompany boats to British waters, ensuring their safe passage.

This stands in stark contrast to operations in the Mediterranean, where the EU – including France – has funded efforts to intercept migrant boats at sea.

Death toll mounts

Last year saw at least 78 people die attempting to cross the Channel – the deadliest year on record, with most incidents occurring within sight of the French shore.

The increasingly chaotic and rushed nature of launches, as smugglers try to evade patrols, has contributed to more deaths from boats capsizing, deflating, or migrants being sucked under by tidal currents.

Yet still the boats keep coming, with families including small children being packed onto vessels that were never designed for Channel crossings.

Border Force overwhelmed

UK Border Force vessels are routinely dispatched to collect migrants from the Channel, with those arriving immediately processed and any asylum claims considered.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused Labour of turning a “blind eye” to rising numbers: “Crossings are surging, extremists and criminals are slipping through the net, and British taxpayers are picking up the bill.”

A Home Office spokesman repeated the standard line: “We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.

But as French police continue to wave through boat after boat, and with calm summer weather approaching, Britain faces the prospect of its borders being overwhelmed like never before.