France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to back the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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