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Police in the UK and Belgium will no longer need judicial sign off before sharing certain intelligence on smuggling gangs, under an agreement signed in Brussels on 10 September 2026. The UK-Belgium Law Enforcement Cooperation Agreement, signed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin, targets migrant smugglers launching small boats from Belgian territory, alongside wider organised crime including drugs and firearms trafficking.
Under the previous arrangements, some intelligence exchanges required judicial approval first, according to the Home Office, creating delays at critical stages of investigations. The new deal removes that requirement for certain exchanges, so officers can act on shared intelligence as soon as it arrives.
At a Glance
- The UK-Belgium Law Enforcement Cooperation Agreement, signed on 10 September 2026, lets police exchange intelligence on organised crime autonomously, without prior judicial approval for certain exchanges.
- The deal targets migrant smugglers launching small boats from Belgium, alongside wider organised crime such as drugs and firearms trafficking.
- Joint UK-Belgium enforcement activity has delivered more than 50 arrests linked to migrant smuggling and over 40 vehicle seizures so far this year.
- The agreement follows the conviction of smuggler Adem Savas, sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined €400,000 for supplying thousands of boats and engines to smuggling networks.
- It comes weeks after the Home Secretary revealed NCA officers tackling organised immigration crime had risen from 276 to almost 800 since the start of 2025.
Migrant smuggling gangs rarely operate within a single country's borders. Boats and engines destined for Channel crossings have often been sourced and moved through Belgium before reaching launch points further along the coast, meaning UK and Belgian investigators are frequently chasing different pieces of the same network. The judicial approval step meant officers could not always move at the speed investigations demanded, and by the time it arrived, those involved may already have adapted or moved on.
The deal removes that specific barrier, letting UK and Belgian officers exchange information autonomously and more quickly rather than routing it through judicial approval first. The Home Office says it will also strengthen joint investigations and specialist training aimed at detecting and disrupting criminal activity linked to small boat crossings and broader organised crime.
What the UK-Belgium Agreement Changes
- Removes the judicial approval requirement for certain intelligence exchanges between UK and Belgian police.
- Allows officers to share information autonomously and in real time.
- Extends joint investigations and specialist training to cover small boats, drugs and firearms smuggling.
The timing follows a case officials have pointed to as evidence of what closer cooperation can achieve. Adem Savas, an organised crime facilitator, was sentenced earlier this year to 11 years in prison and fined €400,000 in Belgium for supplying thousands of boats and engines to networks involved in migrant smuggling across the Channel. He was arrested at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in November 2024, following a joint investigation between the NCA and Belgian authorities.
Announcing the new agreement, Mahmood said it would help police "tighten the net around the criminal gangs behind small boat crossings," adding these networks "operate across borders." Quintin said the deal strengthens "tools to fight these crimes together, with ever greater effectiveness," while NCA International Director Will Middleton said it would let investigators "deepen that co-operation."
How This Fits a Wider Crackdown on Smuggling Networks
The Belgium deal adds to a broader push built throughout the year. Joint UK-Belgium enforcement activity has already delivered more than 50 arrests linked to migrant smuggling and over 40 vehicle seizures in 2026. It also follows last month's announcement that dedicated NCA officers tackling organised immigration crime had risen from 276 to almost 800 since the start of 2025, backed by more than £280 million for the Border Security Command, and helped seize over 1,100 boats and engines since the last election.
Progress Officials Point To
- More than 50 arrests and over 40 vehicle seizures from joint UK-Belgium activity this year.
- NCA officer numbers on organised immigration crime have more than doubled since 2025, from 276 to almost 800.
The agreement takes effect immediately, alongside similar cooperation arrangements the UK has struck with France and Germany. Whether it delivers a measurable change will depend on how it is used, arrest figures, seizures and prosecutions from joint operations will show whether removing the judicial approval step actually speeds up the disruption of smuggling networks.
Key Takeaways
- The UK-Belgium Law Enforcement Cooperation Agreement, signed on 10 September 2026, removes judicial approval for certain intelligence exchanges between UK and Belgian police.
- The deal targets migrant smugglers operating small boats from Belgium as well as wider organised crime such as drugs and firearms trafficking.
- Joint UK-Belgium enforcement activity has delivered more than 50 arrests and over 40 vehicle seizures this year, with smuggler Adem Savas's conviction cited as a key result of existing cooperation.
- NCA officers tackling organised immigration crime have risen from 276 to almost 800 since the start of 2025.
- Officials say small boat crossings are down significantly, but the Home Secretary has said there is "much more to do."