French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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