French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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