France will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
Connected Developments
- Reasons UK can't just send back migrants to French territory
- French government withdrawing from pledge to stop asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
