France to begin stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
Connected Developments
- Why Britain can't just return asylum seekers to France
- French government backing away from pledge to stop asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
