French authorities will start intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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