Nearly 800 NCA officers now tackle people smuggling

This article is general information drawn from gov.uk sources.

The Home Office reports nearly 800 dedicated NCA officers now work on immigration crime. The figure has risen from 376 at the start of 2025. These officers receive support from enhanced capabilities and additional intelligence staff.

Seizures since the election

Officers working with international partners have seized 1,109 small boats or engines. Specialist assessment indicates this action has restricted smugglers' access to equipment and raised costs. The same equipment could otherwise have enabled more than 72,000 migrant crossings.

NCA involvement in arrests reached almost 300 in the previous year. People smuggler related arrests linked to the NCA rose 55 percent in the last year. Overall organised immigration crime arrests increased 74 percent compared with the year before.

Funding and new powers

Investment forms part of more than £280 million allocated to the Border Security Command. The new endangerment offence under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 has produced sentences for 10 small boat pilots, with combined terms of nearly 20 years, all within two months.

Disruptions including arrests, convictions and seizures rose nearly 50 percent in the year ending March 2026. Since the election nearly 70,000 illegal migrants have been removed from the UK. Joint work with France has stopped over 46,000 attempted Channel crossings.