France will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop 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 major advancement, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, 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 authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
Connected Developments
- Reasons UK cannot just return migrants to France
- French government withdrawing from pledge to stop asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
