French riot police authorised to use water cannon in UK-funded Calais migration operation
French riot police deployed in northern France under a £660m deal with the UK have been authorised to use water cannon against asylum seekers and people smugglers, according to people familiar with the operation. The deployment is aimed at stopping small boat launches from beaches near Calais and is being carried out by specialist units including a 50-officer riot squad. The move comes as the summer period typically brings renewed pressure on the Channel crossing route.
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Informed sources said officers from the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité, known as the CRS, may request water cannon, CS gas and batons as part of their public order powers. The use of water cannon is banned in Great Britain because of concerns about policing by consent, although it remains available in Northern Ireland. The decision has drawn criticism from refugee groups, who said it would amount to a serious escalation in the treatment of people seeking to cross from northern France.
The operation also includes 75 officers from the Compagnie de Marche, and a permanent specialist CRS unit trained in riot and crowd-control tactics has been deployed to maintain and restore public order. The UK prime minister announced the deployment at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, describing the units as part of a wider landmark deal between the two countries. A government statement said the team was better equipped to respond to hostile crowds and changing smuggler tactics and to stop illegal migrants in their tracks.
The development matters because it shows how border enforcement around the Channel has become increasingly operational and politically sensitive on both sides of the water. The UK has long sought to reduce small-boat crossings from northern France, while French authorities have faced pressure to prevent launches before boats reach the sea. The use of more forceful public-order tools under a bilateral funding arrangement is likely to intensify debate over how far enforcement should go and what standards should apply.
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Calais has remained a focal point in the migration dispute for years because it is one of the main staging areas for attempts to cross the Channel. The current deployment is tied to the summer months, when authorities expect increased activity from smugglers and migrants trying to launch boats. Care4Calais said the authorisation of water cannon would be a "sickening" escalation and argued that the UK should not back tactics abroad that are prohibited at home.
What remains unclear is how often, if at all, the water cannon will be used and under what specific operational thresholds. It is also not clear whether the authorisation applies across the full deployment or only in certain public-order scenarios. The next developments to watch are any formal confirmation from French authorities, any operational use of the equipment, and whether the arrangement prompts further political reaction in London or Paris.
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