France will start intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
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.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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