France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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