Law enforcement activity has been a “key factor” in reducing the number of people transported to the UK illegally by small boat, according to an assessment published by the National Crime Agency (NCA). The review analyses the overall intelligence picture for the first six months of 2026, using information from the NCA, the Home Office, and domestic and overseas partners. It says constraints affecting the supply chain for boats and engines used in crossings have been an important factor for organised crime groups. It also points to enforcement aimed at people smugglers themselves, alongside prevention of launches on beaches by authorities in France. The NCA assessment also notes that fluctuating demand has contributed to a reduced requirement for crossings compared with previous years. Overall, the number of people arriving in the UK by small boat in the first half of 2026 was down 41% compared with the same period in 2025. The number of boats was down by almost half, at 47%. The falls are described as following a “significant increase” in arrests and seizures by the NCA and partners. The NCA says arrests linked to organised immigration crime involving the agency rose by more than 55% in the year to April 2026. It reports working with international partners to seize more than 1,600 boats and engines since late 2023, aimed at denying these assets to people smuggling networks. It adds that wholesale costs for boats and engines have increased as a result. The agency also says it has targeted key suppliers, including Turkish national Adem Savas, who it says was thought to have supplied equipment used in around half of crossings in 2023. Savas was jailed in Belgium in January. In addition, the NCA says it has worked with social media networks to remove more than 40,000 pages or accounts linked to immigration crime. The NCA said it is not “complacent” and that the work to disrupt organised crime groups continues.