French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
Related Updates
- Reasons UK can't just send back asylum seekers to France
- France backing away from pledge to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
