French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
Related Updates
- Why Britain cannot just return migrants to France
- French government backing away from commitment to stop asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
