French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
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 British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before 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 presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways 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 contacted for comment.
Connected Developments
- Why UK can't just return asylum seekers to France
- France withdrawing from commitment to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security