French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister 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 walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
Related Updates
- Reasons UK cannot just return asylum seekers to French territory
- French government backing away from pledge to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
