Key facts
- Small boat Channel crossings to the UK fell 41% in the first half of 2026 compared to the prior year.
- The National Crime Agency (NCA) cited increased law enforcement activity as a key factor in the decline.
- The NCA reported a significant increase in arrests and seizures of equipment used in crossings.
- Adem Savas was jailed for supplying equipment used in approximately half of 2023 crossings.
- Arrests linked to organised immigration crime increased by over 55% in the year to April 2026.
- Unauthorized border crossings into the EU fell 26% in 2025 and 37% in the first half of 2026.
The number of small boat crossings in the English Channel has decreased by 41% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to government figures. The National Crime Agency (NCA) attributes this significant drop primarily to increased law enforcement activity, including a rise in arrests and seizures of equipment used by criminal gangs.
NCA director general of operations Rob Jones stated that the agency is dedicating more resources to combating organised immigration crime, which is yielding results. He highlighted that efforts have made it more difficult and costly for people-smuggling networks to source equipment, transport it to beaches, communicate with customers, and increase the likelihood of smugglers being confronted by law enforcement. The NCA also noted that supply constraints on vital equipment have affected organised crime groups, leading to increased wholesale costs for items like dinghies.
However, Mihnea Cuibus, a senior researcher at the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory, expressed skepticism about isolating the impact of government policy, stating it is "impossible" to fully disentangle the effects. He suggested that factors such as fluctuating demand, French authorities preventing boat launches, improved security in Syria, and a broader decline in unauthorised arrivals into the EU may also be contributing to the reduction in UK-bound crossings. The Migration Observatory reported a 26% fall in unauthorised EU border crossings in 2025, followed by a further 37% decline in the first half of 2026, suggesting a potential lag effect on UK arrivals.
The NCA also pointed to the jailing of Adem Savas, who reportedly supplied equipment for about half of the crossings in 2023, as a success. In the year to April 2026, arrests linked to organised immigration crime involving the NCA rose by over 55%, and the agency worked with social media platforms to remove over 40,000 posts, pages, or accounts associated with immigration crime. The agency admitted that the war in the Middle East has also complicated criminals' ability to source dinghies.