France to begin stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
Related Developments
- Reasons Britain cannot just send back migrants to France
- France withdrawing from commitment to intercept asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
