France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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