Overview
- Belgian police report 17 small-boat launches from their coast this year, with crews running multi-hour “taxi” trips to collect migrants along the French shore.
- Frontex says small groups have been seen gathering in towns including Middelkerke, Nieuwpoort, De Haan and De Panne, and some boats operate across Belgian and French waters.
- A Belgian patrol once tracked a dinghy from a beach near Nieuwpoort to Dunkirk where French officers took over, showing how routes cross jurisdictions.
- Volunteers rescued 19 people from a sinking dinghy near De Haan and marine police made arrests as investigators probe a suspected trafficking network.
- Authorities in Belgium have stepped up checks on water, land and from the air with Frontex support, while the UK shares intelligence with Belgian partners and ministers hold talks on stronger cooperation.