French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
Connected Developments
- Why Britain cannot just return asylum seekers to France
- France backing away from commitment to intercept asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
