French police have been spotted on a beach failing to stop asylum seekers in small boats and taking pictures. New images have captured officers on the shores of Calais – a notorious destination for migrants reaching the European country or trying to go on to Britain. One shot shows an officer wearing a protective vest and headgear taking a picture of the sea, presumably to capture the migrants.
Another caught a young man running across the beach and past two officers, who were not looking in his direction and seemingly let him pass. The French Government recently announced that officers could intercept boats leaving within 300 metres of the shoreline. While this has not come into effect yet, the interior ministry is set to change the current policy.
Despite this, there are still debates regarding the powers given to Border Force vessels, with one MP calling for them to be used to “push back and pull back”.
Marc de Fleurian, of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party, said Britain and France should work together to prevent small boats reaching the UK.
The president of the National Rally group on the Calais council said his party would introduce this measure if they win the next presidential election.
He said: “The first one is to allow both the British and French navies to proceed to push back from the British side and pull back from the French side.
“The [approach] needs to be formalised so that the navies are allowed not only to rescue the migrants but to prevent them from being able to travel freely in the sea.”
France has previously said it would not intervene in its surrounding waters due to maritime laws that prevent it from taking action that could put lives at risk.
However, ministers who approved the new policy said it would respect the “law of the sea.” It’s expected to be announced officially between July 8 and 10 during the Anglo-French summit, when Emmanuel Macron will visit the UK.
Over 18,000 migrants have already crossed the Channel this year—a 40% increase from the same time last year and the highest number since 2018.
