France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl 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 warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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