Former UK Crime Chief Gives Britain a Serious Warning After Seeing Who Is Arriving on Small Boats Across the Channel

Roy McComb, the former deputy director of the National Crime Agency (NCA), has warned that the ongoing small boat crossings across the English Channel should be taken far more seriously, arguing that they are a major national security concern rather than simply a humanitarian issue. McComb, who served in the senior role between 2014 and 2019, said he believes the growing number of young men arriving in Britain on small boats should concern the public and prompt tougher action from the Government.

Speaking after the UK experienced its busiest day for Channel crossings so far this year, McComb criticised what he described as the country’s “liberal attitudes” towards illegal migration. He argued that too much attention is being placed on the humanitarian side of the crisis while not enough is being done to address the possible security risks linked to organised people-smuggling networks.

According to McComb, many of the people arriving on the boats are young men of military age, and he believes this should raise serious questions about border security. He claimed that once migrants reach the UK, they are often able to move freely while their asylum claims are being processed, adding that many are entitled to legal protections after declaring themselves asylum seekers.

He said criminal gangs are successfully transporting people into Britain across one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and argued that this should be viewed as a serious security challenge. In his opinion, the focus should shift away from treating the crossings solely as a humanitarian emergency and towards strengthening border enforcement and disrupting the criminal organisations behind the journeys.

His comments came shortly after reports suggested that Iranian intelligence-linked individuals had attempted to enter the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats. According to reports, UK authorities intercepted people believed to have connections to Tehran’s intelligence agencies while they were trying to reach Britain. The reports have added to wider concerns about the possibility that hostile actors could exploit illegal migration routes to enter the country.

The debate has intensified during a week marked by tragedy in the Channel. Four migrants died while attempting the dangerous crossing after the UK recorded its busiest day for arrivals this year. French authorities said three people were found dead aboard a boat off the coast of Dunkirk, while another migrant is believed to have drowned in a separate incident near Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Home Office figures showed that 752 migrants reached the UK on Wednesday after travelling in nine small boats, meaning each vessel carried an average of around 84 people. Although the number was the highest daily total so far this year, it remains well below the record set on September 3, 2022, when 1,305 people crossed the Channel in a single day.

The latest crossings brought the provisional total number of small boat arrivals this year to 14,128. While that figure remains significantly lower than the same point last year, officials continue to face pressure to reduce the crossings further. The total is around 42% lower than the 24,538 people who had arrived by this stage last year and around 15% lower than the equivalent period in 2024, when 16,712 people had crossed.

The renewed surge in crossings came only days after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the Government’s strategy to tackle illegal migration was beginning to show results. During a visit to Cumbria, he insisted that progress was being made across several areas and praised the Home Secretary’s efforts to reduce Channel crossings. However, he acknowledged that there was still much more work to do before the number of arrivals could be brought down to the level the Government is aiming for.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp described the deaths in the Channel as preventable and renewed calls for stronger action against the criminal gangs organising the crossings. He argued that more effective measures are needed to stop migrants from setting off in the first place and to prevent further loss of life.

Responding to the latest incidents, the Government said it was deeply saddened by the deaths and stressed that it would continue working closely with France and international partners to stop dangerous Channel crossings. The Home Office said it remained committed to reducing illegal migration and highlighted the new “payments by results” agreement reached with France, which it says will strengthen enforcement on French beaches, increase efforts to stop boat launches and help bring more people-smuggling gangs to justice.