French authorities will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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