French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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