Police divert staff from fight against drugs and guns to deal with small boats crisis

Police divert staff from fight against drugs and guns to deal with small boats crisis Experts in the global drugs trade are now fighting people smugglers Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments By Jonathan Walker , Whitehall Editor 13:00, Sat, Oct 24, 2026 Migrants in a dinghy off the French coast (Image: Getty) Police have been forced to divert resources away from the fight against drugs, firearm smuggling and child sex abuse as they battle to end the small boats crisis . A top cop warned that specialists fighting global drug gangs have been diverted to dealing with cross-Channel migration instead. The National Crime Agency (NCA), which leads the fight against organised crime, is now trying to train new staff to tackle the deadly narcotics trade. Rob Jones, the NCA’s director-general (operations), said: “You cannot pivot towards one threat without there being an opportunity cost or consequence.” Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT The 9 items Brits must stockpile after new warning Andy Burnham urges Britons to stockpile as he takes swipe at Angela Rayner Get the day's biggest headlines in UK and World news and more I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family . Subscribe Invalid email You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . The NCA does not directly prevent small-boat crossings but is working with partner agencies across Europe to lead the fight against the organised criminal gangs that offer passage across the Channel. In one operation in March, officers conducted raids across western Germany, seizing boats, engines and related equipment. But speaking to a parliamentary inquiry, Mr Jones said: “We have prioritised small boats. Specialists who understand smuggling and global networks and are experts in drugs are now tackling small boats. “We are backfilling and developing other people to ensure we retain the level of expertise we need to tackle drugs” Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT He added: “We are holding the line, but this is challenging. The national security threat, the National Crime Agency’s remit around a range of threats, from child sexual abuse through to organised immigration crime and drugs and firearms – none of that has gone away. We are pursuing that concurrently while we get after this.” Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Mr Jones also warned that chaos on the UK’s high streets was exacerbating the immigration crisis, as shops and other outlets run by criminal gangs provided work for people in the UK illegally, which in turn encouraged small-boat migrants to come in the hope of finding work. He said: “Criminal finance, cash-based economy, the grey economy and the high street – all those things are relevant to illegal migration, because you do not want someone to think that they are going to come work for cash in a vape shop in the UK.” But the UK is to launch a publicity campaign to try to convince would-be illegal migrants overseas that they will not be able to “melt away” in British society. The Border Force is recruiting ambassadors and high commissioners in those countries in the Horn of Africa to help get the out message that illegal migrants are vulnerable to exploitation. In a sign that efforts to stem the tide of cross-Channel migrants may be working, officials have revealed almost 4,000 migrants are in camps on the French coast waiting to cross. An NCA spokesman said: “Tackling organised immigration crime is a top priority for the NCA, and we are putting more resource behind it than ever before. Through the Border Security Command, the NCA has received funding specifically to strengthen the response to the small boats threat. "This investment enables the NCA to deploy additional resources, expand operational and investigative activity, enhance intelligence and specialist capabilities, invest in technology, and deepen cooperation with international partners.” Crime Immigration Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments