France will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop 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 step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
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 damage the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
Connected Developments
- Reasons UK cannot just return migrants to French territory
- French government withdrawing from pledge to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
