"An NGO working with refugees has told the Guardian it could launch a legal challenge because the tactic could force desperate people to take more dangerous journeys. In July, there was a flurry of French police interventions near French beaches to stop the boats with footage recorded by the BBC of a boat being punctured in shallow water while carrying asylum seekers. But the interventions were halted in early August following objections from the French police officers' union."
"On Friday, French government sources confirmed that French security forces will be allowed to stop small boats at sea, but only before passengers are picked up. Le Monde said it had seen a document dated 25 November saying that a framework for interventions has been established. The same newspaper also reported that it had seen a letter from Starmer to Macron saying: It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month ... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
French authorities will authorise security-force interventions to halt small, empty 'taxi' boats and large dinghies at sea before they pick up passengers bound for the UK. French forces will target vessels off beaches to prevent crossings. Starmer wrote to President Macron urging adoption of the measures and called the Channel currently without an effective deterrent. Past summer interventions included police actions that punctured a boat carrying asylum seekers; those operations were halted after objections from the French police officers' union. An NGO warned of potential legal challenges, citing risks that the tactic could push migrants toward more dangerous routes. So far this year 39,292 people have crossed the Channel.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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