French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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