France will start intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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