France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention 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.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
Related Developments
- Reasons UK can't just send back asylum seekers to French territory
- French government withdrawing from pledge to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
