France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official left government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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- Reasons Britain cannot just return migrants to France
- French government backing away from commitment to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
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