French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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