France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the plan 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 exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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