France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
Connected Developments
- Why UK cannot just return migrants to French territory
- French government backing away from pledge to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
