France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
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 witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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