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French authorities have carried out the first intervention on the water to stop small boats transporting illegal immigrants to the United Kingdom.
This maneuver comes as part of a new toughened policy against immigration, writes "BBC".
The operation took place in the Aa Canal, in the Gravelines area, on the northern French coast above Calais, where French officers stopped and boarded a so-called "taxi-boat".
Several people, suspected of being smugglers, were seen in a dinghy next to a police boat, while the vehicle was then towed towards the pier.
The French maritime prefecture did not provide details about the case, stating only that an "ongoing judicial investigation" has been opened regarding this intervention.
The change in tactics follows an agreement reached in November, following increased pressure from the British government for more intervention from France.
The new policy was agreed at a summit in July last year between French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Until now, French police have only intervened on beaches before boats set off, as operations at sea were considered too dangerous. However, smuggler gangs have evaded checks by using "taxi boats", which enter the water far from the coast and then move parallel to the coastline to pick up migrants.
According to official French documents, this method had an 81% success rate during 2025. Meanwhile, the number of migrants arriving in the UK from France rose from 36,566 in 2024 to 41,472 last year, although it remained below the record high of 45,774 in 2022.
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