France will start stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways 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 comment.
Related Developments
- Why Britain cannot just send back migrants to French territory
- French government backing away from pledge to intercept asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
