France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels 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 initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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- Why Britain can't just return migrants to French territory
- France withdrawing from commitment to intercept migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
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