French authorities will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel after 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 Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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