French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding 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.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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