French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
Connected Developments
- Reasons UK can't just send back migrants to French territory
- French government backing away from commitment to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
