France will start stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a brief change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
Connected Developments
- Reasons Britain can't just return migrants to France
- France withdrawing from commitment to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
