French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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