In a rare and dramatic intervention on the northern French coast, police officers slashed an overloaded inflatable boat carrying migrants attempting to cross the English Channel to the UK, reported by BBC News. The boat, packed with men, women, and children, was wallowing dangerously in the shallow surf near a beach south of Boulogne.
The intervention marked a striking departure from standard French protocol, which prohibits officers from entering the water unless lives are in immediate danger. Yet on this occasion, officers judged the risk too great to ignore. Removing their heavy body armor and setting aside standard gear, several gendarmes waded into waist-deep waters, knives drawn, to disable the small vessel.
The boat had been part of what officials call “taxi-boats,” used by smuggling networks to ferry groups of migrants to waiting launches offshore. According to eyewitnesses, around 80 to 100 people had gathered on the beach, many wearing orange life jackets, in anticipation of a crossing.
The first vessel to approach the shore was already full and did not stop. Minutes later, a nearly empty inflatable boat came in closer. As it reversed toward the crowd, the scene quickly turned chaotic. Dozens surged forward, wading into the waves and scrambling to climb aboard.
Initially, the police held back, citing rules forbidding them from entering the water. But as children screamed and waves tossed the unstable craft, the officers made their move. A policeman slashed repeatedly at the boat’s rubber hull. Amid cries of confusion and anger, a young girl trapped near the engine was pulled to safety.
Authorities have since emphasized that this incident does not signal a change in official policy. Intervention in the water remains heavily restricted. However, sources in France suggest discussions are ongoing about expanding the use of patrol boats to intercept vessels before they are fully loaded.
In London, a spokesperson for the British Prime Minister called the footage “a significant moment” and welcomed the action as part of growing cross-Channel cooperation.
As the deflated boat was dragged ashore, the group dispersed into the dunes, retracing their steps toward the migrant camps to the north — their journey halted, but far from over.
