France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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