France will start intercepting small boats in Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit 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 before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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