French authorities will start intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
Connected Developments
- Why Britain can't just return migrants to France
- French government backing away from pledge to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security