French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no 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 passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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