France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop 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 step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
Connected Updates
- Why UK cannot just send back asylum seekers to French territory
- French government backing away from pledge to intercept asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
