France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the 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 plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy 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 UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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