French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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