France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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