French authorities will start intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention 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 ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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