France will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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