France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods 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 response.
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