France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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