French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
Connected Developments
- Reasons UK cannot just send back asylum seekers to French territory
- France withdrawing from commitment to intercept migrant boats
