Fury as unions could STOP plans to force French cops to intercept UK-bound migrants as it’s ‘too dangerous’
PLANS to force police in France to intercept migrants on the beaches before they board boats for Britain have been rejected by powerful unions across the Channel.
They claim it would be too dangerous to try to tackle overcrowded dinghies at sea.
And their opposition is threatening to scupper efforts to close a loophole that means officers in France cannot stop boats once they are already in the water.
As a result, smugglers launch dinghies from inland canals and act as taxis to pick up migrants who wade into the sea, while law enforcement officials watch on from the shore.
France Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau wants to change the law so officers can intervene up to 300m from the coastline but progress has been slow.
A new strategy is being drawn up to coincide with President Emmanuel Macron’s State visit to Britain in July. But unions in France are opposed to the plan.
A senior source at Alliance — the largest police union in the country — said: “People don’t seem to realise how dangerous it is to try to carry out arrests at sea, while trying to force a boat to change course.
“If there are 80 people on an overcrowded boat, including women and children, then it is extremely dangerous to try to stop them.
“The potential for disaster, including further deaths, is immense. Turning us into sea police is not the way forward.”
A source at the maritime branch of the General Confederation of Labour, which represents seamen across France, told The Sun: “If a potentially vulnerable boat is stable then it should not be interfered with until it reaches a safe place on the shore.
“Such boats should only be interfered with at sea if they are in serious trouble.”
Frédéric Okonek, coastal delegate for the Un1té union, said previously: “If the police intervene in the water, the boat sinks with a hundred people on board. It’s too dangerous.
“We also have orders: When the boat is in the water, we no longer have the right to intervene. It’s to prevent tragedies.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has told Mr Retailleau she wants the law changed as swiftly as possible.
Last Saturday, 1,195 migrants arrived on 19 small boats — the highest number for a single day this year.
Fewer than 40 per cent of boats have been turned back despite a £480million deal with France to combat crossings.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Belgium has been very successfully intercepting returning boats at sea and has almost entirely stopped embarkations.
“Trade unions and the Left have no interest in stopping illegal immigration.”