French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
Connected Developments
- Reasons UK can't just send back migrants to French territory
- France withdrawing from commitment to intercept asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
