French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods 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 approached for response.
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