France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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