France will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
Related Developments
- Reasons Britain cannot just send back migrants to French territory
- France backing away from commitment to stop asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
