French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to back the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative states 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 possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
Connected Developments
- Reasons UK cannot just send back migrants to France
- French government withdrawing from commitment to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
