French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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