French authorities will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
Related Updates
- Reasons UK can't just return asylum seekers to France
- France backing away from pledge to stop asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
