France Restricts Police Intervention in Shallow Waters Against Migrant Boats

French police are prohibited from intervening in shallow waters to stop migrant dinghies from reaching the United Kingdom, according to the country's interior minister. Laurent Nunez stated that officers damaging these vessels to prevent their subsequent use is "unacceptable."

Appearing before a parliamentary commission examining UK-French migration treaties, Nunez addressed footage that reportedly showed French officers wading into the water to slash a small boat. He reiterated that the primary objective is the preservation of human life.

Nunez outlined that police intervention is permitted on land, or at sea only when a vessel is at risk of capsizing. In such instances, officers are authorized to act to rescue the asylum seekers. "The priority is indeed to prevent people from taking to the water," he said. "The doctrine for intervention at sea is a different matter; it is an operation carried out under the authority of the maritime prefect under extremely strictly defined conditions."

Nunez detailed two frameworks for French police to intercept small boats. Beyond land-based stops, a specialized, elite police unit can intercept boats at sea. This unit has reportedly stopped ten dinghies since its establishment a few months prior. Nunez emphasized that sea interventions are reserved for situations where they are "absolutely necessary to save human lives."

These directives come amid a recent increase in crossings, with 1,129 asylum seekers having crossed the English Channel in the four days preceding the statement. On one day alone, 781 migrants arrived in the UK, marking a daily record for 2026. Despite this surge, the overall number of crossings this year is down by more than 40 percent compared to the previous year, with 18,579 migrants having made the journey into Britain so far in 2026.