Mohan Sinha
27 Apr 2026, 13:27 GMT+10
ZUYDCOOTE, France: A new multi-million-euro agreement was signed between the United Kingdom and France late last week, increasing police patrols and improving surveillance in northern France to reduce the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats.
U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez officially approved a three-year agreement during a joint visit to the Dunkirk area.
Mahmood said the deal brings the right skills and resources to help reduce migrant crossings from French beaches. Nuñez said it will help fight illegal immigration and human trafficking networks, which are very harmful.
Under the deal, the U.K. will provide £500 million to improve security in northern France, with an additional £160 million if the new measures prove effective. If they don't work, the extra funding will stop after one year.
The plan includes increasing the number of officers from 907 to 1,392 between 2026 and 2029, and creating a new police unit in France to tackle illegal migration.
It will also use new technology to stop "taxi boats" — small motorized boats used by smugglers to pick up migrants along the coast. These boats usually start empty and collect migrants from beaches at planned spots.
The agreement also expands surveillance using drones, helicopters, and electronic monitoring to prevent crossings.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that cooperation with France has already stopped many crossings and that nearly 60,000 people without the right to stay have been removed from the U.K.
Since coming to power, Starmer's government has introduced several policies to reduce immigration.
Small boat crossings have become a major political issue in the U.K., leading to protests and helping the rise of Reform UK. This hard-right party has been leading in opinion polls and is expected to gain seats in upcoming elections.
The new measures also allow authorities to seize smugglers' assets, improve border surveillance, and increase cooperation with other countries.
It is still unclear how effective these policies are. So far this year, over 6,000 migrants have crossed the Channel to the U.K., which is 36 percent fewer than last year, possibly due to bad weather.
The real test will come in the coming months when the weather improves. In 2025, over 41,000 people crossed the Channel this way, the second-highest number since records began in 2018.
Get a daily dose of Denmark Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Denmark Sun.
More InformationDUBLIN, Ireland: A man who knifed an English tourist in Dublin's Temple Bar has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison....
ZUYDCOOTE, France: A new multi-million-euro agreement was signed between the United Kingdom and France late last week, increasing police...
BEIJING, China: China has sharply criticized the European Union's decision to include Chinese companies in its latest sanctions against...
MOSCOW, Russia: After a monument to Russians and other people executed by Soviet leader Josef Stalin's secret police was dismantled...
DUBLIN, Ireland: A dispute involving an Aer Lingus pilot, suspended from the airline's recently shut Manchester base, will be taken...
DUBLIN, Ireland: A music teacher drove 800 meters in reverse on the wrong side and collided after consuming a cannabis-laced cake before...
(Photo credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images) Spanish tennis fans got a glimpse of the future on Sunday as 19-year-old wild-card entry Rafael...
(Photo credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images) Brothers Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick of England birdied the final hole after their three-stroke...
(Photo credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images) Nelly Korda returned to the mountaintop Sunday in Houston by going wire to wire for her...
The Finnish government has recently cut social and healthcare benefits and significantly raised financial support for Kiev ...
(260426) -- SANYA, April 26, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Sun Zhixu/Zhang Junming (L) of China celebrate scoring during the teqball men's doubles...
New Delhi [India], April 26 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed India's performance at the International Cheese competition...
