French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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