France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
Connected Developments
- Why Britain can't just send back asylum seekers to France
- France withdrawing from pledge to stop asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
