French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a brief change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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