French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
Connected Updates
- Why UK cannot just return migrants to French territory
- France withdrawing from commitment to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
