French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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