Ministers talk about 'smashing the gangs' but real success still resembles 'stop the boats' slogan

Several floors up, in a nondescript building in central London, rows of analysts are working to make good on the government's promise to smash the gangs.

At first glance, this block of offices looks more like the type of workspace that would play home to a tech startup or advertising firm.

But the plasma screens pinned to the wall here are showing night-vision camera feeds from border force aircraft and maps detailing the routes of small boat crossings.

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This is one of the government's command centres where officials gather intelligence about the dangerous journeys made week in week out by migrants attempting to get to the UK.

The information being brought together here often paints a bleak picture.

On the French side, violence around coastal launch points seems to have got worse.

Cars have been set on fire and local police officers followed home by those trying to facilitate crossings.

The organised smuggling gangs appear to be getting increasingly cavalier with the lives of migrants too - by cramming more people on to their flimsy vessels.

'Buy one get one free' prices on crossings

Sky News understands officials have even picked up social media adverts offering migrants 'buy one get one free' prices on crossings if an adult brings a child or someone with disabilities with them.

"Years ago it was safer, and it was payment by results… it's more cynical now," said one source.

This is explained by an increasing desperation from smugglers, as action from authorities starts to bite.

But if work to "smash the gangs" is bearing fruit, the results are not feeding through to crossing numbers - with figures for 2024 higher than a year earlier.

Deaths in the Channel are up too, and that's partly why the government is including laws in its new borders bill to make it a specific offence to endanger another life during a sea crossing.

'Children held over side of small boats'

One Home Office official says a tactic that's been used by some on board boats is to hold a child over the side of the vessel to avoid being rescued by the authorities.

There are also stories of scrambles on French beaches as desperate migrants attempt to board boats at the last minute, leading to deadly crushes in the centre of the dinghy - the area where women and children often sit.

Trafficking experts question the feasibility of gathering evidence to pursue these new crimes, while refugee groups say there's a risk that vulnerable people could inadvertently be criminalised.

The Tories also claim the move is performative as existing legislation passed by them can already deal with such offences.

But that's not the only echo of previous approaches to migration.

While the bill being published on Thursday repeals a majority of the Conservative's controversial Illegal Migration Act, some parts are being left in place.

One section keeps beefed up powers for the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to decide how long migrants can be detained for, while another retains exemptions from modern slavery protections in some circumstances.

This has led to accusations of hypocrisy from human rights groups, given the critical tone adopted by many senior Labour figures towards the powers while they were in opposition.

Other refugee groups seem more relaxed though and say the retained sections are relatively minor, especially given the huge tranches of Tory legislation that is repealed in the bill.

That's not to say these groups are fully on side with the current approach.

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"The most effective way to break the smuggling gangs' grip is to stop refugees from getting into the boats in the first place, which means giving them a legal way to apply for asylum in the UK without crossing the Channel", said Enver Solomon from the Refugee Council.

More safe routes doesn't appear to be on the government's radar though.

Asked repeatedly about whether upping safe and legal routes was part of the discussion, the home secretary told Sky News "the priority… is tackling the criminal gangs, because if you don't, those boats will continue and that will continue to hit our border security".

Back in the small boats command centre, one screen sets out the data the government will ultimately be judged on.

Above a bar chart of boat arrivals, a figure - coloured green for now - shows that crossing levels are currently lower than at the same point last year.

As much as ministers talk about their plan to 'smash the gangs', real success still resembles the old Tory slogan - 'stop the boats'.

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