France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
Related Developments
- Reasons Britain can't just send back migrants to France
- France withdrawing from commitment to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
