France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers 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 previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities 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 stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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