French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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