France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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