France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid 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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