France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking 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 beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking 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 contacted for comment.
Connected Developments
- Why Britain cannot just send back migrants to French territory
- France withdrawing from pledge to intercept asylum boats
