French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
Related Updates
- Reasons Britain cannot just send back asylum seekers to France
- French government withdrawing from pledge to intercept asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
