France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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