France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
Related Developments
- Reasons Britain cannot just return migrants to French territory
- France withdrawing from commitment to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
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