France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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