French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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