France to begin stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
Related Updates
- Why Britain cannot just send back asylum seekers to French territory
- France backing away from commitment to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
