French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
Related Developments
- Why Britain can't just return migrants to France
- French government backing away from pledge to intercept asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
