French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, 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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