French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
Connected Updates
- Why Britain can't just return asylum seekers to France
- France backing away from pledge to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
