France will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, 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 President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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