Facial recognition software will be deployed on drones in the Channel to help prosecute people smugglers steering migrant boats bound for Britain under Home Office plans, The Times can reveal. Border Force is trialling military-grade, radar-enabled cameras that will be able to identify an individual up to half a mile away, regardless of whether they have changed their outfit or appearance. Border Force officers have reported pilots of the migrant dinghies who change their outfits after they see a British rescue boat approaching to blend in with the other passengers. The boat pilots have even been seen shaving, so they cannot be identified as responsible for facilitating the journey, according to Border Force sources. This enabled them to evade prosecution for assisting unlawful immigration, an offence that can carry a sentence of life imprisonment. The Home Office hopes that using the precision technology will help boost the number of people smugglers who are prosecuted. However, the technology requires extensive trials and testing in order to overcome practical, legal and ethical challenges. The measure is the latest initiative being pursued by the Home Office to target the criminal gangs facilitating the crossings. A total of 4,766 migrants have crossed so far this year, which is down 28 per cent compared with the same period last year. Last week, two people died after a dinghy carrying about 50 migrants got into serious difficulty shortly after leaving Gravelines beach in northern France. There are fears that the failure to renew a deal to pay for French beach patrols could lead to a surge in crossings this summer. Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, agreed last week to extend the present deal by two months until the end of May, after Britain and France failed to reach an agreement on a new three-year deal. Talks