France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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