France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding 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 vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
Connected Developments
- Reasons Britain can't just return migrants to French territory
- French government withdrawing from pledge to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
