Migrants are sneaking into the UK in lorries as police are too focused on small boat crossings, according to a police watchdog.
The HM Inspectorate of Constabulary said officials had missed several opportunities to stop illegal crossings due to being distracted.
The watchdog noted that the Government had failed to tackle organised crime and the UK's Border Force, police and the National Crime Agency (NCA) needed to be better-connected.
It noted that some agencies have no access to police records, which could help them tackle the people-smuggling gangs.
Migrants have been sneaking on lorries while police are distracted by small boats
PAThe report, which was conducted and commissioned in the first half of 2024, comes as a blow to Sir Keir Starmer, who promised he would "smash the gangs" when he came into power.
Almost 13,000 migrants have crossed the channel into the UK in the first 139 days of the year, an average of 91 a day.
The police watchdog said the Government and the NCA's focus on boat crossings had left other routes into the UK prone to migrants.
It said: "Throughout this inspection, we often heard that the Government and the [NCA] were too focused on small boats crossing the English Channel. [This might] lead to missed opportunities in other areas of immigration crime, such as clandestine vehicle entries."
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It also said the Government and NCA need to coordinate with their intelligence as illegal migrants in the small boats "are highly likely to have paid members of organised crime groups to arrange their transport".
The watchdog believes that the current intelligence-gathering is "neither effective nor robust enough" and a sufficient method needs to be implemented.
It recommended allowing authorities to examine migrants' properties, which might "have valuable information about the criminals they have been in contact with before crossing, how they paid them, the modes of travel and the routes used".
12,699 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year
GETTYUp to this date last year, 9,806 migrants had crossed the Channel, 2,893 fewer than the number who have crossed the channel so far this year.
GB News recently revealed that tens of thousands of pounds have been spent on entertaining migrants at a Kent processing facility, with the Home Office accused of "wasting" a "shocking" amount of money.
The results of a Freedom of Information request showed that more than £60,000 has been spent on providing TVs with satellite channels, video games, and other entertainment at the Manston processing centre.
The facility houses migrants for an average of up to 48 hours after their arrival in Kent before they are sent off to hotels and other government accommodation.
