French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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