France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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- Reasons UK can't just return migrants to French territory
- French government backing away from commitment to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
