French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
Connected Developments
- Reasons UK cannot just send back migrants to France
- France backing away from commitment to stop asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
