French authorities will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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