Boat suppliers have been warned that they face organised crime groups coming to them to buy or steal vessels and equipment for smuggling people across the Channel ahead of an expected increase over the summer. The National Crime Agency (NCA) has issued an alert to the UK maritime industry, warning that the significant rise in asylum seekers attempting to reach the UK from France has seen a rise in demand for boats. UK law enforcement detected more than 8,000 migrant arrivals over the Channel throughout 2020, more than four times the total in 2019, as other routes into the UK were hit by the coronavirus pandemic. However, overall asylum claims in the UK were down. The NCA said criminal groups targeted legitimate sellers of vessels and equipment such as outboard motors and lifejackets, in person and online, while there also have been incidents of boats and equipment being stolen. The NCA alert outlines a number of examples of suspicious activity, including: Cash being used in large sums to make payment Unusual combination of boats and equipment in one transaction Enquiries about bulk buying of equipment (eg lifejackets) Repeat buying of boats and equipment from the same retailer Lack of concern about the condition of the boat or equipment being bought, or an indication that it may not be for the buyer’s use Customers wanting to complete their transaction and collection as quickly as possible Online buyers travelling to collect the boat and/or avoiding providing a fixed delivery address The NCA’s head of organised immigration crime operations, Miles Bonfield, said: “Essentially, we want people to follow their gut feeling. They know their industry and their customers well.” The arrival of migrants over the Channel in part inspired a proposed overhaul of the asylum system called “inhumane” by the British Red Cross. Spearheaded by the home secretary, Priti Patel, who came under pressure last year for failing to get a grip on the rising numbers of boat arrivals, the reforms would see migrants who arrive in the UK by small boats or other illegal routes indefinitely liable for removal even if they are granted asylum. The home secretary pledged to remove people who entered the UK illegally having travelled through a “safe country” in which they could and should have claimed asylum, though having exited the EU-wide system for facilitating such removals it is not clear how the UK would achieve this, least of all because a number of EU states have said they would not cooperate.