French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police 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 individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister 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 sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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