France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
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 comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid detection, 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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