French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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