France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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