France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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