France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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