France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
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 propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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