Jump to contentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleHolly BancroftWednesday 02 September 2026 23:03 BSTFrench police attacked by migrants while intercepting boat launchThe UK has agreed a £662m three-year deal with France to fund police efforts to stop small boat launches along the French coast.A new unit of 45 French officers will specifically target super-sized mega dinghies, bringing the total number of deployed French officers to nearly 1,050.France is expanding its specialist intelligence and judicial team from 18 to 30 officers to disrupt people-smuggling networks.The deal was highlighted during a meeting in London between French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Andy Burnham.Small boat crossings to the UK have dropped by 23 per cent year-on-year, despite smugglers placing record numbers of migrants on individual boats.In fullUK and France deploy new team to stop ‘mega dinghies’ crossing ChannelMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in