France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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- Reasons Britain can't just return migrants to France
- France withdrawing from pledge to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
