France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, 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 hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
Connected Developments
- Reasons UK cannot just send back migrants to French territory
- French government withdrawing from pledge to intercept asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
