French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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