France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving 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 no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will start taking action 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 suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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