France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
Related Developments
- Why UK cannot just return migrants to French territory
- France backing away from commitment to intercept asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
