A coalition of six charities working in northern France reported that police violence against people attempting to cross the English Channel has increased by 40% this year. The aid organizations, including Utopia 56, Calais Appeal, and Project Play, stated that these incidents involve women and children experiencing tear gas and physical injuries during law enforcement interceptions at the UK-France border. Utopia 56 reported that more than one-third of the individuals they assisted this year reported experiencing police violence, marking the 40% rise compared to the same period in 2025.
The report follows a Home Office announcement regarding joint efforts by UK-funded French units to prevent Channel crossings. The government stated that these operations stopped 185 departures involving 4,300 people between April 27 and August 2 this year. A Home Office spokesperson noted that total crossing attempts prevented have exceeded 48,000 since the election, and July saw the lowest number of successful crossings for that month since 2020. The UK has signed a payment-by-results agreement with France to increase beach patrols by 40%.
Charity representatives described specific incidents involving injuries and family separations during border enforcement. Project Play reported working with a two-month-old child who was tear-gassed and parents who suffered broken bones. On July 27, a mother was reportedly injured by a gendarmerie buggy during a beach pursuit, and the Refugee Women’s Centre stated it has encountered 27 families separated on beaches this year. Conversely, footage released last week showed individuals in life jackets throwing objects at French officers, who responded by using Pava spray and disabling an inflatable boat with a knife.
The escalation in enforcement and the resulting shift in crossing methods have specific consequences for safety and legal rights. Advocacy groups noted that as police presence increases on northern beaches, departure points are moving further south, resulting in longer and more dangerous sea journeys. Furthermore, the reduction in available boats has led to overcrowding on the vessels that do launch. This overcrowding has had lethal consequences, with at least five children reported killed in 2026 due to these conditions. While the Home Office credits these tactics with reducing the total number of successful crossings to a four-year low for July, aid groups argue that the lack of safe asylum routes ensures the attempts will continue under more hazardous conditions.
Looking ahead, the UK government intends to expand these operations through a new funding deal that will increase the number of French officers on beaches by 40%. This policy aims to further reduce the number of small boat arrivals, which the Home Office characterizes as a restoration of border control. The charities involved, including Calais Appeal, are calling for the UK and European governments to reopen safe asylum routes to mitigate the violence. The French police have been contacted for comment regarding the allegations of violence, though no response was reported at the time of publication.