French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
Connected Updates
- Reasons UK cannot just send back asylum seekers to French territory
- France backing away from pledge to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
