French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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