France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative 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 only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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