French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized 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 prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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