French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
Connected Developments
- Reasons UK cannot just send back migrants to French territory
- France backing away from commitment to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
