French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid interception, 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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