France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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