French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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