The UK government has more than doubled the number of National Crime Agency (NCA) officers assigned to combat human smuggling over the past 18 months, as Prime Minister Andy Burnham vowed a "relentless" approach to curbing small-boat crossings across the English Channel — one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, where overcrowded inflatable dinghies routinely attempt the hazardous journey in cold, treacherous currents.

Speaking during a visit to the port of Dover on Sunday, Burnham said NCA officers working on people-smuggling cases had risen to nearly 800, up from 376 at the beginning of 2025. He toured Dover's Joint Command Room to review operations conducted jointly by the NCA and the Border Security Command.

"The public don't like the idea that the border looks like it's not controlled," Burnham said. "We need to bring back that control, but also we need to offer support for people who genuinely need it. So we're just going to be relentless."

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood spent the same day visiting NCA offices in Stratford, London, where she told reporters she was "doing whatever it takes to secure the border." She said government efforts were beginning to "bear fruit," noting that more than 70,000 deportations had been carried out since Labour took power in 2024 — a 41% increase. The enforcement-based approach marks a departure from the previous Conservative government's signature Rwanda relocation scheme, which Labour scrapped upon entering office. Mahmood added that she shared the public's concern "every time they see images of people crossing the Channel."

According to the Home Office, the NCA was involved in nearly 300 arrests last year, and officers have seized more than 1,109 small boats and engines intended for people smugglers since the 2024 election. The seized vessels could have facilitated approximately 72,000 migrant crossings, the department said.

"People want to see this issue addressed. I heard that on the doorsteps in Makerfield," Burnham said, referring to his constituency. "But we also need to build a system that offers safe routes for people as well, because that also takes away the selling point of the gangs."

Illegal migration remains a political flashpoint in the UK and has bolstered support for Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. Farage's uncompromising rhetoric — describing small-boat arrivals as an "invasion" and pledging to detain and deport those who reach British shores — has helped propel the party to the top of opinion polls.

While small-boat migrant arrivals this year are significantly lower than in 2025, approximately 2,000 people have crossed the English Channel since Burnham became prime minister on July 20. The provisional year-to-date estimate stands at 14,526 arrivals — 43% lower than the same period last year and 14% below the equivalent period in 2024. The figures reflect ongoing UK-French cooperation on beach surveillance along the northern French coast, a long-standing element of bilateral efforts to disrupt departures before they begin.

Burnham and Mahmood's remarks came shortly after the issue of illegal migration intensified across Europe following a crisis in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa. As many as 60,000 Moroccan migrants crossed into Ceuta last week, prompting several European Union member states to threaten the imposition of border checks and even to call for Spain's suspension from the EU's Schengen agreement, which permits passport-free travel between participating nations. The Ceuta crisis mirrors broader pressure on Europe's southern frontier, where Mediterranean crossings from North Africa have long tested the EU's asylum and border-management framework.