French authorities will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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