France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
Connected Developments
- Reasons UK can't just return migrants to French territory
- French government withdrawing from commitment to stop asylum boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
