French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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