France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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