French groups who offer support to migrants say launches from the area are becoming increasingly frequent, and estimate that at least 3,000 people are still waiting for small boat crossings on the northern coast. “With the ‘taxi boat’ dynamic, the boats are launched far away where there is less police, and passengers are picked up somewhere else,” she added. Local charities estimate that there are currently around 1,000 migrants living in tents in Calais waiting for small boat crossings, and 2,000 to 2,500 in Dunkirk, Brun said. Border Security Command said such innovations had included the use of larger vessels and “taxi boats” launched from inland waterways that pick up migrants in shallow offshore waters. Following The i Paper’s reporting of the fact that a Chinese company sanctioned by the British government for selling small boats to smugglers was still operating a year later, the Home Office said it was working with manufacturers, suppliers and international partners to prevent small boat equipment reaching gangs, and that more than 1,100 small boats and engines has been seized since the 2024 election.