France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there currently "lack any 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 migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting 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 allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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