France will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear 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 ways to adapt to avoid interception, 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
- Why Britain cannot just return migrants to French territory
- French government withdrawing from commitment to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
