French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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