French authorities will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit 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 authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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