French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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