France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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