French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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