French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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