France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated 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.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade 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 asylum seekers to France
- French government withdrawing from commitment to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
