{"id":6041,"date":"2026-03-13T09:38:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T09:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/6041\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T09:38:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T09:38:07","slug":"minister-in-belgium-after-migrant-boat-launches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/6041\/","title":{"rendered":"Minister in Belgium after migrant boat launches"},"content":{"rendered":"

A UK government minister has held talks in Belgium on tackling people smuggling following recent attempts to launch small boats from Belgian beaches.<\/p>\n

Minister for Border Security and Asylum Alex Norris described Belgium as a key ally in tackling the global challenge of illegal migration.<\/p>\n

The visit comes after police recently told the BBC they were stepping up patrols<\/a> following attempts by smugglers to target the Belgian coast, away from the main launch sites in France.<\/p>\n

The Home Office said it was working with international partners to drive down small boat crossings.<\/p>\n

On Thursday Norris met Interior Minister Bernard Quintin and Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt to discuss illegal migration.<\/p>\n

“We have a history of brilliant law enforcement cooperation to put the criminal smuggling gangs where they belong \u2013 behind bars,” he said.<\/p>\n

“This government will continue to work closely with international partners as we restore order and control to UK borders.”<\/p>\n

There has been more focus on Belgium as a departure point in recent weeks after small boat activity in coastal towns including De Panne, Koksijde and Nieuwpoort.<\/p>\n

Local police suggested the recent rise was because of increased pressure on smugglers in France.<\/p>\n

Officials said boat launches had previously been limited because the Channel crossing is longer from Belgium.<\/p>\n

The Belgian Federal Police said it was stepping up patrols, both on land and at sea, as well as from the air with the deployment of the Frontex aircraft.<\/p>\n

\"Christian<\/p>\n

Deputy police chief Christian De Ridder on patrol in the coastal town of De Panne [BBC]<\/p>\n

The small number of recent launches off Belgium involved so called ‘taxi-boats’, which pick up migrants in the sea before heading along the coast to France.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the BBC earlier this month, retired Dover coastguard Andy Roberts said he was concerned about the health risks for those attempting longer journeys from the Belgian coastline.<\/p>\n

“The majority of migrants wade out to the boats that take them, so they’re soaking wet up to their chest before they even set off,” he said.<\/p>\n

Click here to see the BBC interactive<\/a><\/p>\n

Tony Smith, the former director general of the UK Border Force, told BBC South East the smugglers were always looking for new tactics.<\/p>\n

“Smuggling gangs are quite happy to move their operations, to try and avoid any patrols either by the French or the Belgian police,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It’s obviously still quite a sophisticated operation that’s going on over there.”<\/p>\n

\"Andy<\/p>\n

Former coastguard Andy Roberts says the crossing from Belgium is longer, adding to the danger [BBC]<\/p>\n

In recent years the UK government has assisted the Belgian authorities with technology such as drones to help track smugglers along the coast.<\/p>\n

Resources are also being used to try to prevent migrants stowing away on cross-channel freight.<\/p>\n

The Home Office said there have been investments of around \u00a34m over the past two years.<\/p>\n

It said this had led to the establishment of a control room in the Port of Zeebrugge, which enables private security in the port to respond immediately to security breaches.<\/p>\n

Funding also continues towards shared patrols to search containers and vehicles using Border Force officers, dog teams, security infrastructure in and around the port and equipment for Belgian officers.<\/p>\n

Government figures show 41,262 people crossed the Channel in small boats last year – the vast majority from France – a 13% increase in a year.<\/p>\n

The figure remains lower than the peak of 45,774 in 2022.<\/p>\n

Between 1 January and 9 March 2026, 3,409 people made the crossing.<\/p>\n

The government has pledged to “smash the smuggling gangs” <\/a> in order to reduce the numbers crossing in small boats.<\/p>\n

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, external, on X, external, and on Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk, external or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.<\/p>\n

More on this story<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A UK government minister has held talks in Belgium on tackling people smuggling following recent attempts to launch…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6042,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[4328,4329,4333,4334,7,4331,4335,4330,4332],"class_list":["post-6041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-belgium","tag-alex-norris","tag-andy-roberts","tag-belgian-beaches","tag-belgian-federal-police","tag-belgium","tag-boat-launches","tag-channel-crossing","tag-illegal-migration","tag-the-home-office"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@be\/116221201829890370","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}