Facial recognition drones to be deployed in the Channel to catch migrant smugglers steering small boats Facial recognition drones are to be deployed in the Channel to catch migrant smugglers driving the small boats. Military-grade cameras that can identify faces up to half a mile away are now being trialed by Border Force. The radar-enabled technology will be able to spot targets even if they have altered their outfit or appearance. Officers have reported that those piloting the boats change their clothes when they see British rescue vessels to blend in with passengers, or even shave at sea to make them more difficult to recognise. Thus far, this has allowed many to avoid being caught. The Home Office hopes the new strategy, first reported by The Times, will increase the number of prosecutions. Smugglers can be convicted of assisting unlawful immigration - an offence that can carry a sentence of life imprisonment. But the technology must undergo rigorous testing and review in order to overcome practical and legal hurdles before being rolled out. It comes after Shabana Mahmood signed a two-month extension deal for French cops to stop small boats Dangerous crossings in the Channel have increased over the past three years, with 41,472 people arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025 The facial-recognition drones are the latest initiative from the Home Office in its battle to drive down the number of crossings. So far this year, 4,766 migrants have made the journey across the channel, which is down 28 percent on the same period last year. Last week, two people died and three were injured when hundreds of migrants tried to pile onto a rubber dinghy bound for Dover from France's shore. Smugglers took advantage of the improved weather in northern France to launch at least five