France will start stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
Connected Developments
- Reasons Britain cannot just return asylum seekers to France
- France backing away from pledge to intercept asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security