French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states 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 earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking 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 contacted for comment.
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