France will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
Related Developments
- Reasons UK can't just return migrants to French territory
- France withdrawing from pledge to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
