France will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
Connected Developments
- Reasons Britain cannot just send back migrants to French territory
- French government withdrawing from commitment to intercept asylum boats
