France will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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